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President Obama has sent a string of top officials this week to Israel to discuss, among other things, his demand that Israel freeze settlements in the West Bank. There are over 120 Israeli settlements and over 100 outposts on Palestinian land, considered illegal under numerous international resolutions. Obama’s insistence on freezing expansion has resonated with many countries who have joined in the US call. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued for the completion of structures that are partly built, and to allow for what he calls “natural growth” of the settlements. Meanwhile, Israeli civilians have taken it upon themselves to stage make-shift outposts this week, in defiance and with the implicit support of the Israeli military. Young Israelis in particular, have set up tents and huts in the West Bank this week to send a message to the US. One 16 year old told the Guardian Newspaper that “it contributes to the entire people of Israel that the land is being settled.” But a group called Combatants for Peace comprising Israeli ex-combat soldiers and Palestinian ex-fighters built a counter-outpost near-by whose protest tent was destroyed by the Army. Also on the agenda for US-Israel relations is Iran’s nuclear capability and the perceived threat to Israel. There are rumors that Israel could concede on the settlement issue in exchange for a tougher US stance on Iran. The rift over the settlements has strained US-Israeli relations and Obama’s approval ratings in Israel have drastically dropped from 73% in 2007 to 38% this year.

GUEST: David Hosey, National Media Coordinator of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

For more information, visit www.endtheoccupation.org.