Meanwhile, in Israel and the Occupied Territories, the continued Israeli takeover of West Bank land is leading the US-backed Palestinian Authority to begin openly questioning the viability of a two-state solution. On Wednesday, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel’s insistence on retaining large swaths of the West Bank would make a separate Palestinian state impossible.

Saeb Erekat: “Then maybe it’s the moment of truth for the Palestinian leadership, for Abu Mazen, who has done nothing in his life but to pursue the two-state solution, to come his moment of truth and tell his people the truth: that with the continuation of settlement activities, the two-state solution is no longer an option. Palestinians should refocus their attention to the one-state solution, where Muslims, Jews and Christians can live as equals. This is very serious. This is the moment of truth for us.”

As Erekat spoke, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continued a Mideast tour in Egypt. Clinton has faced widespread criticism from Arab countries over the Obama administration’s refusal to insist Israel halt settlement expansion as a precondition for negotiations with Palestinians. Speaking in Cairo, Clinton defended the administration’s approach.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “We do not accept the legitimacy of settlement activity, and we have a very firm belief that ending all settlement activity, current and future, would be preferable. And that is what we have put forth, and that is what we have continued to support. What we have received from the Israelis, to halt all new settlement activity — and I’ll repeat that again, too — to halt all new settlement activity, and to end expropriation of land and to issue no permits or approvals, is unprecedented. It is not what we would prefer, because we would like to see everything ended, forever, but it is something that I think shows at least a positive movement toward the final status issues being addressed.”