Berkley uneasy on Obama-Israel showdown

Count Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley among the pro-Israel members of Congress who are uneasy over the confrontation between the Obama administration and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Over the weekend, Berkley had strong words for Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after they criticized Israel's surprise move to build a new settlement in East Jerusalem.

Quit making Israel the enemy when such attention should rightfully focus on the Palestinians, Berkley said.

The White House reaction to the housing settlement, she said, was "an irresponsible overreaction," and was done "to try to appease Palestinian politicians."

A number of lawmakers who are engaged in Middle East issues similarly are restive, according to Politico.com, which posted this story today.

In the meantime, here is Berkley's full statement:

“I am deeply concerned over the comments of the last two days by the Vice President and the Secretary of State. They assert that the Israel-Palestine peace process and the special 60-year bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Israel have been jeopardized by this week’s announcement that Israel plans to build housing units in East Jerusalem.

“The Administration’s strong implication that the enduring alliance between the U.S. and Israel has been weakened, and that America’s ability to broker talks between Israel and Palestinian authorities has been undermined, is an irresponsible overreaction. No doubt the administration’s overwrought rhetoric is designed to try to appease Palestinian politicians and convince them the U.S. is an honest partner in the peace process by seizing every available opportunity to criticize the actions of our ally Israel.

“That strategy also includes ignoring the myriad provocations by Palestinian leaders that make pursuing peace such a long and arduous process. Where, I ask, was the Administration’s outrage over the arrest and month-long incarceration by Hamas of a British journalist who was investigating arms-smuggling into Gaza? Where was the outrage when the Palestinian Authority this week named a town square after a woman who helped carry out a massive terror attack against Israel? It has been the PA who has refused to participate in talks for over a year, not the government of Israel. Yet once again, no concern was lodged by the Administration. And, all the while, Hamas restocks its terror arsenal and fires rockets into Israel.

“I advocate an even-handed, not a one-sided, U.S. policy as we do the difficult work of establishing peace, and eventually, a Palestinian state. These are critical goals for our nation and for the future of the Middle East. We owe the process nothing less than fairness, candor, and intellectual honesty, not a policy of constant appeasement and reinforcement of the Palestinians’ failings as legitimate partners in the peace process.

“I strongly believe that despite this weeks flap over Israel’s announcement regarding housing construction, the U.S.-Israel relationship is strong and our partnership in pursuit of peace remains undiminished. I call on the White House to rethink its counterproductive rhetoric and to affirm that the U.S. and Israel remain united in pursuing a fair, equitable, and honest peace process with the Palestinian powers that be.”