The genesis of this statement is reports in the Jewish press last week that seemed to imply that Chairman Ackerman was endorsing so-called "natural growth" of settlements, and was thus breaking publicly with President Obama's demand for a settlement freeze that includes "natural growth."  Earlier this week, an article in the Capitol Hill newspaper "Politico" used apparent Ackerman quotes to bolster its highly questionable thesis that even Democrats in Congress are urging Obama to "back off" on the settlement issue.

Well, whatever the Jewish press and Politico thought (or hoped) Ackerman's views might be, today's statement is clear:  Chairman Ackerman is not saying families shouldn't grow, or that people should not have babies, but he is saying that settlement construction must stop, period.  This is the view that the Chairman, clearly and unequivocally, has articulated today.  It is a welcome and important clarification from Chairman Ackerman.

This is the second time this week that a key member of Congress has spoken out publicly in support of the Obama Administration's Middle East efforts.  On Tuesday, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) sent a letter to President Obama (a letter circulated widely) explaining that he had refrained from signing an AIPAC-backed letter regarding Middle East peace "principles" because he strongly objected to the part of the letter that stated that any disagreements between the US and Israel should be dealt with privately.  In his own letter Frank states:

"...it is inevitable that in any relationship there will be legitimate disagreements.  In the case of In the case of the United States and Israel, fortunately, these are not disagreements about goals, but rather the best methods to achieve them. Given the fact that we are both democracies where public policy should ultimately set with the support of the people in each country, it would be a mistake to refuse to discuss important differences on how to achieve our mutual goals in a way that the electorates in both countries could understand...

...I believe it is very important for the Israeli public to know that there is strong disagreement within the United States -- not just within our government -- over exactly how to deal with the question of settlements in the West Bank. My view, as a strong supporter of Israel's right to remain a secure, democratic Jewish state is that the one area of vulnerability for Israel in terms of American support is in the area of settlements. Just as I believe the American public should know what the Israeli government thinks about our approach to Iran, I think it would be a denial of an important principle of democracy for the Israeli electorate not to know what the state of American opinion is regarding the settlements."

(hat tip to the JTA blog for posting the entire text of the letter, which is as-yet not on Rep. Frank's website...)

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Full text of Ackerman statement (link will be added as soon as it is available)
ACKERMAN URGES FREEZE ON SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION, NOT GROWING FAMILIES

(Washington, DC) - U.S. Representative Gary L. Ackerman, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, issued the following statement today on the subject of U.S.-Israel discussions on the subject of Israeli settlement activity:

"The most important thing to remember with all the talk right now about settlements is the strategic threat from Iran. It is the overarching threat to the region and to the interests of the United States. The most worrisome settlement is not in the West Bank and it's not even Israeli: it's the Iranian settlement in Gaza.

To bring together the kind of unified international pressure that stands a chance of pushing Iran to back down from its nuclear ambitions and its subversive activity, the United States needs to demonstrate it is capable of resolving conflict and providing regional security. And for the states in the Middle East, that means normalizing relations with Israel and the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It means statehood for the Palestinians and it means, at long last, real peace and real security for Israel.

The priority has to be on stopping Iran. And all terrorism.  Whatever detracts from that goal has to be subordinated.

The growth of Israeli settlements, unfortunately, detracts from the goal. Palestinian violence destroys the goal.  Stopping settlement construction won't turn off a single Iranian centrifuge, it's true. But it will demonstrate that the United States is driving the political agenda in the region and is serious about peace. That fact will help shore up the moderate Arab states-some of whom are weak, some of whom have been wavering-reinforce American leadership with our allies in Europe, and give hope to both Israelis and Palestinians that peace, not merely a peace process is in the offing.

I do not believe in, and I do not support a settlement freeze that calls on Israeli families not to grow, get married, or forces them to throw away their grandparents. Telling people not to have children is unthinkable and inhumane. Real life is messy and the exigencies of any vibrant population need to be acknowledged and accommodated.

The real question is expanding, construction and building. I think it's fair to say that the big blocks of settlements will probably wind up in Israel. But this question, like the other questions related to a final peace agreement, has to be resolved in negotiations between the parties. A freeze on settlement construction-not family life-will set the stage for those negotiations to begin in earnest.