Good atmospherics expected at Obama-Netanyahu meet in Washington
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
By: ICEJ News

But B'Tselem, NYT reports seek to embarrass Israeli PM on settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington on Tuesday with President Barack Obama for the fifth time since the two leaders took office, with the Israeli leader reportedly armed with a series of proposals to finally induce the Palestinians into direct talks.

Both leaders hope the meeting will enable them to rebuild a level of trust after months of tension since Obama’s widely perceived snub of Netanyahu in their last White House encounter in March, when no cameras were allowed in the Oval Office and the traditional joint press conference was scrapped.

Netanyahu plans to present Obama with a number of proposals for coordinating progress in the Middle East peace process, according to sources close to him. Foremost is an understanding on how to forge a renewal of the temporary settlement freeze which expires in September so that the Palestinians will finally agree to direct talks but without enraging the vital right-wing of Netanyahu’s coalition.

The leaders are also expected to discuss Iran’s renegade nuclear program, the recent rift with Turkey, and other regional issues. Netanyahu will have further meetings with US Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday afternoon and Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, has been invited for a meeting with Michelle Obama.

Though most expect the atmosphere and results to be positive in today’s White House encounter, some have tried to spoil the affair.

Just as Netanyahu departed for Washington on Monday, the Israeli left-wing group B’Tselem released a report which accuses the government of stealing Palestinian-owned lands in the West Bank for use in settlement expansion. The report alleges that some 42% of the West Bank is now under effective settler control, and that 21% of built-up areas in settlements are on lands recognized by Israel as private Palestinian property.

Besides questioning the factual findings, critics accused B’Tselem of releasing the report in an effort to sour the mood at today’s White House meeting. A B’Tselem spokesman denied that the timing was political, claiming that the date for the report’s release was set almost two months ago, before Netanyahu’s rescheduled White House meeting was announced. However, the spokesman added, “we hope that human rights issues, including the implications of the settlements, will be on the table at the meeting.”

Meantime, The New York Times published another potentially embarrassing report for Netanyahu, claiming that the Internal Revenue Service allows tax deductions for charitable donations to benefit West Bank settlements.

Deductions for most donations in the US are not questioned so long as the charitable organization involved is a recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization, but critics argue they should not be allowed in a case where the US government itself forbids any spending of tax dollars beyond the pre-1967 Green Line.

The report estimated that some $200 million in tax-exempt funds were donated to Jewish residents in the West Bank over the past decade. The funds went to schools, synagogues, and recreation centers, but some also to such items as guard dogs, bulletproof vests, and rifle scopes. US donors also receive tax breaks for donations to pro-Palestinian groups investing in the West Bank.

Former US policymakers on the Middle East noted in the Times report that this whole issue has been around for a long while, leaving the question of why it was brought up again at this very time.