Clinton Condemns Israel’s “Violations” – Not Palestinians’ –

 Ignores Palestinian Incitement

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has criticized Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for demanding that Israel stop demolishing illegally built Palestinian Arab homes in eastern Jerusalem, while strongly opposing legally built Israeli/Jewish homes in eastern Jerusalem as “unhelpful” to peace efforts. She said this during a press conference in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas. Secretary Clinton stated, “Clearly this kind of activity is unhelpful and not in keeping with the obligations entered into under the ‘road map’ … It is an issue that we intend to raise with the government of Israel and the government at the municipal level in Jerusalem.” (‘Clinton, Abbas meet in Ramallah’, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 4, 2009). In contrast, Secretary Clinton has not said a word about an issue she once claimed was a top priority for a real peace – ending Palestinian incitement to hatred and murder against Israel and Jews.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “In other words, Secretary Clinton shockingly stated a demand to allow illegally built Palestinian Arab homes in eastern Jerusalem while demanding that Israel stop allowing legally built Israeli/Jewish homes in eastern Jerusalem. Even the very liberal Israeli Supreme Court has upheld the right of the government to demolish these illegal structures.

“It is racist, discriminatory, inconsistent and hypocritical to support one and oppose the other. If the issue is promoting peace, Secretary Clinton should not be arguing that Jews have no business building homes in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. By taking this position, she is basically saying that Arabs may build in eastern Jerusalem, but Jews may not. Yet no peace can be established on the basis that a territory should be judenrein, least of all the religious, historical and political capital of the Jewish people. Jews have been a majority in eastern Jerusalem since the mid-1800s until 1948, when Jordan forced the Jewish residents to leave.

“It is untenable to argue that demolishing Palestinian unauthorized buildings is a violation of international obligations – while demolishing Jewish buildings is not. Since when are the rights of one group to live somewhere guaranteed under law, but not of another group?

“In addition,’ Klein added, “The 2003 Roadmap, which Israel accepted with 14 published reservations, calls for a freeze on Israeli settlement activity, while simultaneously requiring various obligations to be fulfilled by the Arab states and the PA – which in fact have never been fulfilled. These obligations include: ending the incitement to hatred and murder in the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps, confiscating illegal weaponry, cutting off public and private funding to terror groups, an unequivocal Palestinian declaration of Israel’s right to exist, and an immediate call for an end to all violence against Israelis.

“It is astonishing that Secretary Clinton openly criticizes Israel’s alleged non-fulfillment of the Roadmap while now totally ignoring and saying nothing about the almost complete violation by the Palestinian Arabs, not only of the Roadmap, but of every written agreement they signed from Oslo to the Wye Agreement to Annapolis. It is especially surprising that Secretary Clinton has not raised – indeed ignored – the issue of Arab incitement to hatred and murder because, during her tenure as Senator, she raised this issue publicly many times. In fact, I personally testified in front of Senator Clinton at a U.S. Senate hearing on this very issue in October 2003. In that hearing, Senator Clinton, as the Senator from New York, as reported at the time, made clear the critical importance of ending incitement, because without resolving that issue, peace is impossible:

“Moreover, more recently, in February 2007, Senator Clinton had this to say on the subject of Palestinian incitement to hatred and murder:

‘…we must stop the propaganda to which Palestinian children are being exposed. That must be a priority for all people who care about children, who care about the kind of peace, stability, safety and security that Israel deserves to be guaranteed … I have been speaking out against the incitement of hate and violence in Palestinian textbooks for years. In 2000 I joined Nobel peace prize winner Elie Wiesel in New York to denounce the lessons of hatred and violence that are part of the curricula in Palestinian schools. I wrote, with my colleague Senator Schumer, a letter to President Bush, urging his Administration to do everything in its power to persuade the Palestinians to reverse their hateful rhetoric and embrace the opportunity to move toward a strong and lasting peace in the region … these children deserves [sic] an education that instills respect for life and peace instead of glorifying death and violence …

This propaganda is dangerous. You know, words really matter … Because in idealizing for children a world without Israel, children are taught never to accept the reality of the State of Israel, never to strive for a better future that would hold out the promise of peace and security to them …

This has dire consequences for prospects of peace for generations to come … I believe education is one of the keys to lasting peace and security in the Middle East and the greater region …

We cannot build a peaceful, stable, safe future on such a hate-filled violent and radical foundation. In the years since, I and others – who have been doing it long before I did in 2000 – raised  this issue, there has still not been an adequate repudiation of this by the Palestinian Authority … And I worry about the chance for peace when the next generation is learning that fighting Israel is a glorious, religious battle for Islam, as this report points out.’ (‘Hillary Clinton’s full statement introducing PMW’s report on Palestinian schoolbook,’ US Senate Building, February 8, 2007,’ Palestinian Media Watch, February 8, 2007).

 “Secretary Clinton says she is making an issue of housing in the interests of furthering peace. If promoting the issues that are important to peace is her purpose, why has she been completely silent during this visit on incitement to hatred and murder, an issue which she has stated previously should be at the top of her agenda for peace and without progress on which there can be no peace? If there is to be any prospect of peace, Palestinian glorification of suicide terror and hatred of Jews, Judaism and Israel must stop – but Secretary Clinton is now ignoring the issue. She didn’t ignore it when she was U.S. Senator from New York. Why is she ignoring it now? She didn’t even raise this issue during her confirmation hearings, even though she discussed the Israeli-Palestinian issue at length. Why?

“Is this the pro-Israel Hillary Clinton that many New Yorkers believe they had as senator?

“The ZOA strongly criticizes Secretary Clinton’s stance on building in eastern Jerusalem – saying yes to illegal Arab homes and no to legal Jewish homes. The ZOA strongly criticizes Secretary Clinton’s refusal to make an issue of, or even mention, Palestinian Arab incitement which she once took so seriously – and rightly so. The ZOA strongly criticizes Secretary Clinton for condemning so-called Israeli ‘violations’ of its written agreements, but totally ignoring the Palestinian Arabs’ violations of virtually every aspect of every agreement they have signed with the Israelis. ”