High Noon at Turtle Bay

"Where preceding U.S. administrations had contented themselves with characterizations of settlement construction as a proverbial 'obstacle to peace,' Obama's rhetorical upgrade questioned the very legality of Israel's policy. The Netanyahu government has responded plausibly that not only is it absurd to deny Jewish communal life in the crucible of Jewish civilization, but also that multiple governments in Jerusalem have uprooted settlements in order to advance reasonable chances for peace. As such, it rejects all arguments that settlement activity serves to negate the possibility of an eventual two-state solution...

UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was a poorly conceived misfire. Assuming charitably that those who supported the resolution were concerned only with the cause of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, this feel-good boomerang will likely accomplish the diametric opposite: ... emboldening the latter in their continual efforts to avoid direct negotiation by subcontracting their grievances to the international community..."