The Only Unilateral Steps Hillary Supports Are Israeli Concessions

According to Hillary Clinton, peace talks require negotiations and not unilateral steps:

For her part, Clinton said yesterday -- as she has repeatedly -- that the only way forward for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement is through negotiations. "We have always said and I continue to say that negotiations between the parties is the only means by which all of the outstanding claims arising out of the conflict can be resolved," Clinton said at a news conference following a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit. "There can be no progress until they actually come together and explore where areas of agreement are and how to narrow areas of disagreement. So we do not support unilateral steps by either party that could prejudge the outcome of such negotiations."

But apparently 'unilateral steps' means different things depending on whether we are talking about Israel or the Palestinian Authority.
Apparently once Netanyahu voluntarily put a moratorium on building for 10 months--a unilateral move to encourage negotiations--this became the status quo. Now all of a sudden, not renewing the 10 month freeze becomes a unilateral step.

When it comes to Israel, not doing anything is a unilateral step:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday criticized Israel's latest building plans in east Jerusalem, an issue that has divided the two governments and imperiled efforts to revive Middle East peace talks.

Clinton called the proposed construction of 1,300 apartments "counterproductive" and an obstacle to restarting peace talks with the Palestinians.

"The United States was deeply disappointed by the announcement of advance planning for new housing units in sensitive areas of east Jerusalem," Clinton told reporters at the State Department.

Building was the status quo; the moratorium was a unilateral step that Netanyahu offered to take. But listening to Hillary Clinton, you wouldn't know anything about that.

Clinton will be talking with Bibi:

"I'm very pleased to be here and to have this opportunity to discuss with him how we're going to move forward in the process," Clinton said when asked why construction is a problem now, 40 years of after Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Wanna bet that the 'we' does not include measures Abbas can take to forward the peace talks?
After all, 'we do not support unilateral steps by either party that could prejudge the outcome of such negotiations'.

Technorati Tag: Mideast Peace Talks and Hillary Clinton.