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Ha'aretz: "They tried to make us go to rehab" by APN Spokesman Ori Nir

"On Tuesday morning, over coffee, Israel's English-language newspapers informed (Sec. Rice) of Peace Now's latest report, which documented the sharp increase in Israeli West Bank settlement activity."

9/5/08

Something odd happened to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Jerusalem last week. On Tuesday morning, over coffee, Israel's English-language newspapers informed her of Peace Now's latest report, which documented the sharp increase in Israeli West Bank settlement activity. One can only guess what Rice thought as she saw the figures, based on data from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, showing that settlement construction has almost doubled since Israel committed to a settlement freeze in Annapolis last year.

A couple of hours after her morning coffee, Rice faced reporters at a photo opportunity with Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni. When asked about the settlement report, Livni said that "the peace process is not and should not be affected by any kind of settlement activities." And, she added, "according to my knowledge, settlement activities have reduced in the most dramatic way, especially in parts which are on the other side of the fence."

Huh!?

Rice knows that Peace Now's report is accurate. Livni also knows that Peace Now is the leading authority on settlement activity. Its reports are based on official Israeli government data. The current report paints a troubling picture of settlement expansion. No less troubling, however, is the fact that an Israeli politician as senior as Livni, the leading candidate to head Israel's largest party, says she is not aware of the extent of settlement construction. And equally troubling is Livni's odd argument that such activity does not have an impact on the peace process.

The report, a semi-annual summary of settlement activity in the West Bank, shows not only that construction has not been "reduced" in the past six months, but that its pace has almost doubled. The report shows that the beefed-up construction has been taking place not only in "settlement blocs" west of the security barrier, which Israel wishes to annex in the future, but also in isolated settlements east of the fence, deep inside the West Bank. It shows that the government to which Livni belongs has solicited bids for construction of 417 housing units in settlements this year, more than six times as many as the tenders for housing units issued in 2007.

Secretary Rice must have wondered: Is it possible that Livni really doesn't know what is happening in West Bank settlements? Is it possible that she doesn't know what Peace Now knows?

The answer - Rice might be surprised - is yes. In fact, it is highly possible. Livni won't be the first and probably not the last top-tier Israeli politician to be utterly ignorant of the rampant expansion of settlements and illegal outposts in the West Bank. She would not be the first to be surprised by it, to dismiss it, to deny it, or to rationalize it by saying that it doesn't have any impact on Israel's peace efforts anyway.

Why? Because Israel doesn't have a settlement policy. It has a practice, a habit of continued settlement activity that it simply cannot break. Partially, it stems from the convoluted bureaucratic process by which new construction is approved. Partially, it stems from the lawlessness that characterizes the settlement enterprise. And partially it stems from the political power the settlers' lobby continues to wield. In part, it is also attributable to the long-time practice of trying to redraw the political border with the West Bank by establishing facts on the ground. That practice is a slippery slope, particularly when various people in power are using that tool to serve differing, even conflicting, interests. The fact is that an Israeli government that is committed to a two-state solution is sanctioning and following practices that obstruct that very goal.

Rice didn't hide her disagreement with Livni on how settlement activity harms the peace process. Speaking publicly in Jerusalem and in Ramallah, and, according to press reports, speaking privately with Livni and other Israeli officials, she said that settlement construction is hindering progress toward peace.

But Rice expressed her displeasure in a manner characteristic of the way the Bush administration generally deals with Israel. It keeps telling Israel to go to rehab, but does nothing when its leaders say "no, no, no." Presumably, President George W. Bush and Secretary Rice think they are being friendly to Israel by not insisting on a full settlement freeze.

Well, that's not what friends do. Friends don't let friends engage in self-destructive behavior. Israel needs to break the addiction and it needs outside intervention. It's not too late for the Bush administration, even as it approaches the end of its term, to devise mechanisms with Israel's government, to achieve a comprehensive, transparent and verifiable freeze on settlement construction. Even if such a freeze doesn't help pave the way to peace in the short run, it will at least help keep the path to a two-state solution viable for the long run.

Ori Nir is the spokesperson of Americans for Peace Now, a national Zionist organization working to influence U.S. policy in support of Arab-Israeli peace.