US toughens stand on Jewish settlements

Only hours earlier,the Israeli government said it would continue to allow some growth in the settler communities in the West Bank.

The exchange underscored the unusually hard-line position Obama has taken publicly with Israel early in his administration. Most US presidents,aware of the political sensitivity,have worked hard to keep disagreements out of sight,when they existed.

The back and forth also added a contentious note to the start of a grueling period of Middle East peace talks that the White House has pledged to aggressively pursue. And it comes as Obama prepares his speech scheduled for next week that is aimed at repairing US ties with the Muslim world.

The verbal disagreement with Israel defied expectations of US and Israeli officials,as well as many analysts,who had predicted that the new American president and the newer conservative Israeli prime minister would seek a pragmatic way to avoid public clashes. But since Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House 11 days ago,the contrasts have steadily risen in public view.

Obama believes an Israeli settlement freeze would elicit concessions from moderate Arab states,reinvigorating peace negotiations. Meeting with Abbas,Obama re-emphasised his conviction regarding the settlements and the need for a Palestinian state. The President repeated his view,which many Israelis also dispute,that progress on Palestinian-Israeli peace can ease many other regional problems.

Beyond the question of Jewish settlements,differences between Obama and Netanyahu loom over the crucial issue of a separate Palestinian state. The Israeli leader would favour a stand-alone state only if it did not have many sovereign powers,including a military and control of its borders.