Netanyahu, White House trade barbs on 'American values'

What began last week as a dispute over construction plans in Jerusalem's Givat Hamatos neighborhood has turned into a war of words between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Obama administration.

In a CBS interview that aired on Sunday, Netanyahu said that U.S. government criticism of construction in east Jerusalem "doesn't reflect American values."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest issued a harsh response to Netanyahu on Monday, saying, "It did seem odd for him to try to defend the actions of his government by saying that our response did not reflect American values."


Credit: Reuters

Earnest noted the U.S. has long supported Israel, defended it in the international arena and financed its defense, including the Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

"The fact is, when it comes to American values, it's American values that lend this country's unwavering support to Israel," Earnest said. "It's American values that have led us to fight for and secure funding to strengthen Israel's security in tangible ways.

"It's American values that have led us to fund and build an Iron Dome system that protected the lives of countless innocent Israeli citizens," Earnest continued.

Earnest said U.S. policy regarding Israeli construction in east Jerusalem "has been clear and unchanged under several administrations, both Democrat and Republican.

"We oppose any unilateral actions that attempt to prejudge final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem. These can only be legitimately determined through direct negotiations through the parties that this president has worked hard to try to facilitate."

Last Wednesday, Earnest said going ahead with construction in Givat Hamatos would "only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from even its closest allies, poison the atmosphere, not only with the Palestinians but also with the very Arab governments with which Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to build relations."

That statement, along with a similar one issued by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, prompted a rebuttal from Netanyahu, who said in an NBC interview, "I think [the Obama administration] should be acquainted with the facts first. You know? First of all, these are not settlements. These are neighborhoods of Jerusalem. We have Arab neighborhoods and we have Jewish neighborhoods."

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