Clinton counters Arab anger over Israel settlements

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who is also in Morocco, said earlier on Monday he feared US President Barack Obama’s drive to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks could be heading for failure over the settlement issue. “The Israelis have responded to the call of the US, the Palestinians and the Arab world to stop settlement activity by expressing a willingness to restrain settlement activity,” Clinton told reporters.

“This offer falls far short of what our preference would be but if it is acted upon it will be an unprecedented restriction on settlements and would have a significant and meaningful effect on restraining their growth.”

Clinton also praised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for “positive steps” he was taking toward talks, including improving security on the West Bank, and she said that Israel should reciprocate. “When either party takes any step that looks like it moves us in the right direction, even if it is not what I would like or I would prefer, I am going to positively reinforce that,” Clinton said. Clinton was in Morocco to begin sounding out Arab officials after a meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem at which she endorsed Israel’s view that settlement expansion in the West Bank should not be a bar to resuming negotiations. The Arab League chief said Arab states shared the Palestinian position that resuming negotiations was futile without a freeze on settlement expansion.

”I am telling you that all of us, including Saudi Arabia, including Egypt, are deeply disappointed ... with the results, with the fact that Israel can get away with anything without any firm stand that this cannot be done,” Moussa told reporters. Asked if Obama’s initiative to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process had failed, he said: “I still wait until we have our meetings and decide what we are going to do. But failure is in the atmosphere all over.”