Lest We Forget– Trump warns Israel to ‘Stop announcing new settlements’

White House official declares that all parties should cease ‘unilateral actions,’ affirms Trump Adminsitration’s plans for two-state solution.

ed note–reposted in light of everything that has taken place since this article first appeared here almost 6 years ago and the manner in which it sketches in KRISTOL CLEAR LINES what was from the very beginning Netanyahu and Israel’s plans for destroying Trump that climaxed with a virus cooked up in an Israeli bioweapons lab, a collapsed economy and a stolen election, all indicators that were there from the very beginning but to which very few paid (and continue to pay) little–if any–attention.

Original ed note–as we have been saying now for over a year in the face of the senseless bleating, chirping, honking and braying on the part of those who claim Trump is ‘owned by the Jews’ just because he has said nice things about Israel and his daughter ‘converted’ to Judaism–Hold off on making such declarations because there is a new game being played here, with different players and with different stakes involved.

Spicer’s statement to wit that ‘While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal’ indicates that what Trump is planning to do with Netanyahu is to let the pirate have the settlements that presently exist but that a demarcation line will be drawn and no more Palestinian land stolen, at which point, Palestine, or ‘Palestina’ as it was named by the Romans after Judea’s destruction in 70 AD, will indeed become a sovereign state.

The problem however as far as Judea, Inc is concerned is that Judah-ism is very clear on what ‘The Jewish State’ is supposed to encompass as laid out in various passages of the Old Testament, to wit–

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abraham, saying ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates’…–Genesis, 15:18

And God spoke unto us saying, ‘Go to the hill-country and all the places nigh thereunto… in the Arabah, the hill-country and in the Lowland… in the South and by the sea-shore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates…Go in therefore and possess the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, unto them and to their seed after them…’ Deuteronomy 1:6–8

Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours, from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border…’ Deuteronomy 11:24

…From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border…’Joshua 1:4

And furthermore, has made clear in various passages in the Old Testament what is to happen to those kings and kingdoms who refuse to see things ‘the Jewish way,’ to wit–

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you…Your gates will always stand open, day and night, so that the Gentiles may bring you the wealth of their nations and their kings led in triumphal procession, for the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly destroyed.’–Isaiah 60:10-12

Jerusalem Post

In a surprise statement the White House warned Israel on Thursday to cease settlement announcements that are ‘unilateral’ and ‘undermining’ of President Donald Trump’s effort to forge Middle East peace, a senior administration official told The Jerusalem Post.

For the first time, the administration confirmed that Trump is committed to a comprehensive two-state solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict negotiated between the parties.

The official told the Post that the White House was not consulted on Israel’s unprecedented announcement of 5,500 new settlement housing units over the course of his first two weeks in office.

‘As President Trump has made clear, he is very interested in reaching a deal that would end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is currently exploring the best means of making progress toward that goal,’ the official said.

‘With that in mind, we urge all parties to refrain from taking unilateral actions that could undermine our ability to make progress, including settlement announcements,’ the official added. ‘The administration needs to have the chance to fully consult with all parties on the way forward.’

Trump plans to bring up the peace process in his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House scheduled for February 15.

Trump looks forward to those discussions, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in response to this report.

‘The American desire for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has remained unchanged for 50 years, and while we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal.’

On Thursday, Netanyahu reiterated his support for the settlement enterprise and said, during a visit to Ariel, that in the last week alone he had announced the advancement and authorization of 900 homes in that city.

Until now, Israeli officials have not known what to make of Trump administration policy on the issue of settlements specifically and, more generally, on the challenge of Middle East peace: Under Trump’s leadership, reference to a two-state solution was removed from the Republican Party platform over the summer, and the president’s envoy to Israel has publicly supported the settlement enterprise.

Trump has, however, repeatedly called peace between Israel and the Palestinians the ‘ultimate deal’ – one that he has tasked Jared Kushner, a top adviser and his son-in-law, with moderating.

‘I think the White House’s statement was designed to chill some of the exuberance of those on the Israeli Right who think they have a blank check,’ Dennis Ross, a senior Middle East diplomat and veteran of the George H.W. Bush, Clinton and Obama administrations, told the Post. ‘I think that exuberance got their attention. I just don’t think they want any announcements that will surprise them, and they’re still in the process of formulating what their policy is going to be.

‘It sounds like they want to convey a pretty blunt message,’ Ross added.

The Trump administration official did not go as far as to explicitly condemn Israel’s settlement activity as ‘contrary to the pursuit of peace,’ as the Obama administration had over the course of its tenure, but the White House does appear to believe that settlement activity, at the very least, ‘undermines’ and complicates Trump’s efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table.

‘The United States remains committed to advancing a comprehensive final-status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians that results in two states living side-by-side in peace and security,’ the official said.

In his first week in office, Israel announced it would authorize 2,500 settlement housing units in the West Bank. Days later, it proceeded with an additional 3,000 units.

Defense minister Avigdor Liberman called it a ‘new era’ for Israel and the settlement movement.