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U.S. May End Up Boosting Netanyahu

(Los Angeles Times) Edmund Sanders - By drawing a line against expansion of Israeli housing units in Jerusalem, the Obama administration is confronting a policy that enjoys a strong consensus among Israelis: the effort to ensure that the city remains united and under their control. Focusing the debate on Jerusalem may actually prove to be of domestic political benefit for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even many Israelis who otherwise oppose the government's settlement activity in the West Bank see nothing wrong with building homes for Jews in parts of Jerusalem that were seized during the 1967 war. "For Netanyahu, this is the best issue you could have given him," said Efraim Inbar, a political science professor at Bar-Ilan University, who said the prime minister could emerge politically stronger by refusing American pressure to limit or temporarily delay housing construction in east Jerusalem. "Jerusalem touches an important nerve for so many Jews that they would support the government, even in a confrontation with the U.S.," Inbar said. "Even if it causes damage, sometimes you have to draw a red line." He said about 70% of Israelis support a "united Jerusalem" under Israel's control, according to polls he has conducted. The Jewish population of east Jerusalem has grown to 200,000 today.
2010-03-22 10:10:55
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