Netanyahu Does It Again

Israel’s decision to greatly expand the boundaries of its capital, Jerusalem, delivers another blow to the reeling peace process and another snub to U.S. efforts to keep that process alive. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright objected in advance to the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the expansion plan, which she diplomatically labeled as “not helpful” to advancing talks with the Palestinians. Her spokesman, James P. Rubin, was, gratifyingly, blunt in expressing Washington’s frustration: “We find it extremely hard to understand why Israel would even consider taking such a provocative step at this sensitive time in the negotiations.”

Well, maybe not so hard to understand after all. In his two years as prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has undeviatingly made clear that the only peace settlement he is ready to consider is one whose terms were dictated by Israel, not one negotiated in good faith with the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu continues to profess fidelity to the Oslo accords even as he ignores them. He also claims to be mystified whenever Washington suggests he is trampling on their provisions. Thus he blandly describes U.S. objections to enlarging Jerusalem’s boundaries as based on a misunderstanding. Last week Albright held a long phone conversation on the expansion plan with Netanyahu, whose impeccable command of English leaves little opportunity for misunderstanding. She came away fully aware of what Israel was going to do and why it was doing it--to assure that Jerusalem’s population would remain predominately Israeli, to create what Israelis like to call facts on the ground that could not be reversed.

It is absurd to describe the Jerusalem expansion plan as simply aimed at promoting municipal efficiency, as one of Netanyahu’s top aides has done. It is laughable to say, as Netanyahu has, that “there’s nothing controversial here” or that the action does not violate Israel’s commitment to maintain the status quo in Jerusalem in advance of final negotiations.

Given the almost uninterrupted slide in peace prospects over the last two years, is there any point in the United States continuing to plead for a revival of the talks? It simply makes Washington look increasingly weak, ineffectual and even foolish as events repeatedly underscore its lack of influence over Israel’s government. Peace in the region is essential to American interests. But so is maintaining U.S. credibility as an honest broker, a role its closest ally in the Middle East has once again placed in jeopardy.