Israel Debates No. 3 08. April 2010 Dead-lock in the Peace Process and Rising Tensions in U.S.- Israeli Relations Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have reached a dead-lock. Since the inauguration of Netanyahu's government the peace process has not moved forward. This has been accompanied by strained relations between Israel and the United States. A substantial number of political observers speak about a serious crisis. This slump was sparked on March 9th during U.S.-Vice President Joseph Biden's Israel-visit. Biden had initially intended to announce the beginning of U.S.-brokered proximity talks between both parties, when Jerusalem's city council published its approval of a construction plan for 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem's Ramat-Shlomo. From an Israeli perspective, this neighborhood is part of Israel. Palestinians, however, perceive it as part of the West Bank. The American government filed protest and demanded the cancellation of the decision. The Palestinians consequently withdrew their willingness to engage in proximity talks. Benjamin Netanyahu, who had been taken by surprise as well, apologized for the timing of the announcement. On the other hand he reinforced his government's position that all of Jerusalem is part of Israel, which has the right to build there. Netanyahu had his office issue:"From our point of view, construction in Jerusalem is like construction in Tel Aviv". On March 23rd he stated at the annual AIPAC-convention – America's Pro­Israel Lobby – in Washington:"Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our capital." Within the framework of his participation at the AIPAC-convention Netanyahu met with President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton. Both meetings did not render a solution to the problems. Instead it became evident that Obama was unwilling to ease pressure. The U.S.-administration would not allow for compromising American strategic interests in the region without comment. However, not Israel alone is responsible for the present halt of the peace process. The Palestinians are also to be held accountable. Their insistence on maximum demands and their refusal to engage in any kind of negotiations do not constitute a constructive contribution either. Moreover, the division between Fatah and Hamas poses a substantial obstacle, since Mahmoud Abbas represents only part of the Palestinian population. Subsequently, any achieved agreement will apply to the West Bank only and not to Gaza. Both issues – the crisis of U.S.-Israeli relations and the halted Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations – presently dominate Israeli media and the country's public discourse. Below we will post the perspectives of two renowned Israeli security experts, which reflect the wide spectrum of Israel's internal debate. 1