Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Hillary Clinton re-affirms US support for Israel


Hurva Synagogue, Jerusalem, originally uploaded by Tom on Formosa.

Photo: Hurva Synagogue, Jerusalem

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the US and Israel had a ‘close, unshakeable bond’ but the US wanted both Israel and the Palestinians to prove their commitment to peace. Clinton also said the US had an ‘absolute commitment to Israel's security’. This follows reports of the American envoy George Mitchell’s postponed visit to Israel.

Meanwhile mounting tensions in Jerusalem have led to violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police, who said that about 60 Palestinians had been arrested. The situation in East Jerusalem worsened in recent days with the settlements issue and rededication of a synagogue in Jerusalem's Old City, which Palestinians have condemned.

The reopening of the Hurva synagogue, which was destroyed twice in the past, in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City triggered a violent backlash. Thousands of people gathered in Gaza to protest against the rededication of the synagogue which is near the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site.

The Hurva Synagogue, is a historic synagogue located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

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