Hillary Rodham Clinton's harsh words stun Israel

Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian woman during a protest at the Qalandia checkpoint against Israeli settlements, checkpoints and the separation barrier. (Abbas Momani / AFP/Getty Images / March 13, 2010)

A spat over the Ramat Shlomo housing project in East Jerusalem becomes a bigger clash as the secretary of State calls it 'an insult to the United States.'

By Paul Richter
LA Times
March 14, 2010
Reporting from Washington

Beginning as a spat over a single housing project, a dispute this week between the Obama administration and Israel has ballooned into the biggest U.S.-Israeli clash in 20 years, adding to months of strain between Washington and one of its closest allies.

Israel's decision to move ahead with 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, announced during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden, drew criticism from Washington in language rarely directed at even Iran or North Korea.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Israel's announcement "was an insult to the United States."

In a 45-minute telephone call Friday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Clinton upbraided him and demanded that he take more steps to show his nation's commitment to peace.

(More here.)