Congressman Ackerman on Natural Growth

The settlements in Israel create great conflict between the East and the West, and between the US and Arab nations in particular. They are not a source of good and the official US policy is that they should be stopped.

However, Congressman Gary Ackerman thinks the are "natural growth" and need not be stopped.

Internal growth is not an obstacle — it is life,” said the congressman, Gary Ackerman (D-L.I.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. “There is no moral equivalence between settlements and terrorist activity,” he said by phone shortly after leaving a 90-minute meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. “Bibi mentioned settlements,” Ackerman continued, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “He pointed out that unlike previous administrations that said they would not build them but built them, he is not building new settlements. But he has a position that you cannot stop people on the issue of internal growth.”

Should the US naturally grow in to Mexico or Canada? Would we not expect conflict to result?

Does Congressman Ackerman have US interests in mind when he makes such statements?

There is more interesting stuff here:

[This] position is NOT surprising especially when you come to find out [Ackerman] is not only the United States House Chairman on Middle East and South Asia foreign affairs but Ackerman is also President of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians, making sure that influential Jews within governments all over the world can coordinate and push for Israel's position on 'all' policy matters[.]

"Arik Puder, the spokesman for ICJP Israel -- ICJP "...goal is to put together parliamentarians from all over the world in order for them to cooperate with one another and promote Jewish issues/AGENDAS in their respective countries...""

You couldn't make it up if you wanted to.

JPost

Mondoweiss