Unhelpful Hillary

In order to show that it is even-handed in its approach to the Middle East, the United States must show that Israel is in violation of its commitments as the Palestinians. The Washington Post reports that yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dutifully played her role.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized the Israeli government on Wednesday for its plans to demolish dozens of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, calling the actions “unhelpful” and a violation of international obligations.

Clinton made the rare public complaint about Israeli actions in response to a question at a news conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Israel’s plans to destroy homes in Arab East Jerusalem, which Palestinians consider the capital of a future Palestinian state, have angered Palestinians.

Jonathan Tobin explains what’s outrageous about Secretary Clinton’s criticism.

Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that homes demolished in Jerusalem were built without permits, a practice that is illegal in most countries. Moreover, as anyone who has visited Jerusalem in recent years can testify, building in Arab neighborhoods of the city has grown exponentially. So the implied charge that no Arab homes are being allowed to be built is utterly false.

Of course, at the same time, the United States continues to carp about the building of Jewish homes in Jewish communities in the territories, especially those in Greater Jerusalem, which no Israeli government would ever surrender. So it’s more than a bit hypocritical for the U.S. to call on Israel to freeze the building of Jewish homes while opposing any effort to curb the growth of Arab housing.

(See Shiloh Musings for visuals)

The Washington Post uncritically repeats some Palestinian claims about the housing but Nadav Shragai gives a pretty complete background that is at odds with Post’s account. (h/t Backspin)

About 20 years ago, the Jerusalem municipality shored up the water runoff there, and in the open green area (al Bustan, in Arabic), which the Turks and the British took care to preserve for hundreds of years as a public area intended for preservation and development of parks and tourism, an illegal Palestinian outpost arose.

Within 18 years 88 buildings went up there, under the noses of mayors Teddy Kollek and now outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Under former mayor Uri Lupolianski, the construction was halted, after the municipality confiscated tractors and heavy machinery from the lawbreakers.

Last summer the director general of the Antiquities Authority, Shuka Dorfman, noted in a kind of “post mortem” that the construction in the King’s Garden caused significant and irreversible damage to antiquities.

That last bit is important (though not to the Washington Post nor to Secretary Clinton.) Palestinian nationalism has always been about the eradication of Israel. The Palestinian National Charter denies the historical connection between Jews and Israel. So any action that serves to erase that history is important. The reason permits weren’t available for those buildings is because the area was not one that was supposed to be built. In any other circumstances deliberate efforts to destroy antiquities is condemned. But when Israel’s involved, it’s excused.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.