Obama / White House comments re: Israel / Jerusalem are Disturbing

Its one thing for UN idiots like Sec Gen Ban Ki Moon to make ignorant comments like this:

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon joined Western countries in condemning Israel's decision, Army Radio reported Tuesday overnight.

He referred to the sprawling south Jerusalem neighborhood as a "settlement" built on land Israel "conquered from the Palestinians in 1967."

Now of course, Jerusalem is no settlement, it is Israel's capital. In addition, no lands, including the West Bank & Gaza were "conquered from the Palestinians".

How ignorant can one be ??

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258027313763&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

But the Obama administration is also clearly both ignorant and fundamentally hostile towards Israel, as indicated by the following:

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs put out a statement on Tuesday harshly criticizing the decision, saying the US was "dismayed" by the move.

"At a time when we are working to relaunch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed," he said in a statement. "Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally preempt, or appear to preempt, negotiations."

His comments included criticism of Israel's "continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes," a point the Obama administration has made in the past.

In this case, though, the condemnation was primarily leveled at building in a Jewish Jerusalem neighborhood.

It is highly unusual for the US to criticize construction in Gilo, a neighborhood straddling the Green Line in the city's south and considered noncontroversial among Israelis.

Initially the White House statement was titled a response to "the approval of settlement expansion in Jerusalem."

But the version of the statement the White House later posted on its Web site had different wording. It does not use the word "settlement" in reference to Jerusalem, and is instead titled a comment "on Jerusalem."


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258566462435&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Others reacted with similar surprise, but also frustration at what they said was misguided American policy in an area considered by a wide consensus of Israelis to be just another Jerusalem neighborhood.

"Since when is anyone thinking about giving Gilo away?" asked an elderly man as he waited at a bus stop. "And if we're not giving it away, why on earth can't we build here? Obama is sitting all the way over there in the White House making demands, and really, what does he know about anything?"

Ron, a grocery store owner on Rehov Zecharia, labeled the American criticism "stupid," and said he was shocked to see the question of building rights in his neighborhood thrust into the headlines.

"When I picked up the newspaper today I couldn't believe it," he said. "The location they want to build in isn't even close to any Arab homes, and it has nothing to do with peace negotiations.
"Since when was Gilo on the table?" he asked. "To be honest with you, it's all very upsetting."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258566462450&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull