Mideast Flap Hits Jerusalem's Streets

Palestinians Clash With Israeli Police in 'Day of Rage,' as U.S. Lawmakers Press White House to Change Its Tone

Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli police, and a special U.S. envoy delayed a peace-talks mission to the region amid tensions over planned construction in East Jerusalem.

The conflict also flared in Washington, as Republican and Democratic members of Congress pressed the Obama administration to tone down its criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for its plan to build 1,600 homes in the disputed territory.

The administration saw Israel's announcement, during a visit last week by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, as a slap in the face amid intensified U.S. efforts to mediate indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Protests Tuesday moved the dispute into the streets, in the most widespread unrest in Jerusalem in years. Palestinian protesters, many responding to a call by the Hamas militant group for a "day of rage," hurled Molotov cocktails and stones, set tires ablaze and blocked roads.

The protests appeared timed to follow the rededication on Monday of a Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem's Old City, which Hamas said was part of a plot—denied by Israel—to destroy the al-Aqsa mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites.

Israeli police, who had deployed 3,000 officers around the city, responded to some protesters with stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets. Police also turned back buses headed to Jerusalem carrying Palestinians with Israeli citizenship who planned to join the demonstrations. The Palestinians said dozens were injured in the clashes, which flared in the morning and continued through the day.

"We are calling for the third Intifada to be sparked now,'' said spokesman Fawzi Barhoum of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, referring to Palestinian uprisings against Israel.

Peace talks are now in limbo, though U.S. officials said special Mideast envoy George Mitchell hoped to return to the region in the coming days. The diplomatic flap has plunged the longtime allies into one of the worst chills in relations in decades.

Senior U.S. officials said Tuesday that the future course of the diplomacy depended on how Mr. Netanyahu responded to Washington's demand that he reverse the decision on East Jerusalem construction and agree to a more vigorous embrace of the peace process. These American officials said they had expected Mr. Netanyahu's government to provide an official communication Tuesday, but now were anticipating the response Wednesday.

"We thought it was important to be informed by the Israeli positions on some of the issues that the secretary discussed with the prime minister'' before sending Mr. Mitchell to the region, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

He added that Mr. Mitchell wouldn't hold meetings with the Palestinians or Israelis until after a meeting of the so-called Quartet working on Mideast peace—Russia, the European Union, the United Nations and the U.S.—on Thursday and Friday in Moscow.

Members of the U.S. Congress pressed the Obama administration to revise its approach. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the second-ranking House Republican, said he expressed concern to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel late Monday that the administration was shifting U.S. policy.

Mr. Cantor said the George W. Bush administration had recognized that certain neighborhoods in disputed East Jerusalem, including the site of the proposed construction, had become fundamental parts of the Jewish state, and stressed that the U.S. shouldn't be pressing Mr. Netanyahu to return these areas as part of the peace process.

"The administration is taking a very clear stance … everything is back on the table," Mr. Cantor said, referring to all lands Israel gained after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The White House confirmed Mr. Cantor's conversation with Mr. Emanuel, but contested the Republican's position. "The United States has a longstanding difference with Israel over building in East Jerusalem that runs across multiple administrations of both parties," said a National Security Council spokesman.

Nearly a dozen pro-Israel Democrats also urged the White House to smooth relations with Israel in a bid order to quickly resume peace talks. "We need to disentangle bilateral relations from the peace process," said Howard L. Berman of California, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "The talks need to go forward."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday also stressed the sustainability of the U.S.-Israel alliance and the need for reconciliation. "We cannot afford to unravel the delicate fabric of friendship with the United States," Mr. Peres said.

Mr. Netanyahu on Monday characterized Israel's decision to build new homes in East Jerusalem as consistent with past governments and has said it should have no bearing on the prospects of Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Mr. Netanyahu's aides have complained that the U.S. has inflated the rift unnecessarily, giving Palestinians an excuse to boycott talks.

An aide to Talab el-Sana, an Israeli Arab member of the Israeli parliament who attended the demonstrations, said Mr. Netanyahu's government "is dangerous and irresponsible, and is leading the region to a third Intifada."

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A10
* MIDDLE EAST NEWS
* MARCH 17, 2010

By JOSHUA MITNICK in Tel Aviv and JAY SOLOMON in Washington