
 
 
The deep  division between Israeli and American views on the future of Judea and Samaria  became more evident Tuesday when the office of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu  announced the cancellation of a planned meeting with U.S. Middle East envoy  George Mitchell, in France. The Prime Minister, on an official visit to Italy  and France, was scheduled to meet with Mitchell on Thursday in Paris.
The  American envoy instead will meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak during Barak's  trip to Washington next week.
The official explanation for the  cancellation was the need to “clarify issues.” 
Prime Minister Netanyahu  directly challenged U.S. President Barack Obama’s stand against the presence of  Jews in Judea and Samaria in his speech 10 days ago at Bar-Ilan University. He  voiced determination to continue building in existing Jewish communities in  Judea and Samaria, but hoped to dampen the American response by  expressing willingness to accept a "demilitarized Palestinian  state." 
Instead, he has been met by more extreme resistance from the  Obama administration. A U.S. State Department spokesman told reporters on Monday  that opposition to building for Jews in Judea and Samaria includes established  Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, where thousands of housing units are under  construction.
These areas of Jerusalem, in which more than 250,000 people  live, were established up to 40 years ago after the entire city was restored to  Jewish sovereignty during the Six-Day War. The neighborhoods were officially  annexed to Jerusalem nearly 30 years ago.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has  warned in recent days that making a loud fuss over the “settlements” clouds what  he considers major issues towards a peace agreement between Israel and the  PA.
Even if Washington wants to find a compromise solution, President  Obama’s announcement in his speech in Cairo earlier this month has left the Arab  world assuming that the U.S. is in its corner.
The Arab world has made it  clear that it will not consider any compromise in the so called Arab Peace Plan,  which calls upon Israel to surrender all of Judea and Samaria, including the Old  City and Jerusalem neighborhoods, such as French Hill, Ramot and Gilo.