Americans for Peace Now welcomes the Biden administration’s statement in opposition to the Israeli government’s most recent settlement drive and urges the administration to put muscle behind the words.

In a statement issued today, Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote: “We are deeply troubled by Israel’s decision yesterday to advance reportedly nearly 10,000 settlement units and to begin a process to retroactively legalize nine outposts in the West Bank that were previously illegal under Israeli law.” The statement noted that like previous administrations, Democratic and Republican, the Biden administration “strongly opposes” unilateral measures such as settlement activity, “which exacerbate tensions and undermine the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution.”

Rather than continuing to prioritize avoiding conflict with the government of Israel – while in fact the Israeli government is perpetuating and enhancing the conflict through ”legalizing” illegal settlement activity – the United States needs to stand behind its policy positions in deed and not just in word.

APN’s President and CEO Hadar Susskind said: “While we welcome this statement, and support Secretary Blinken’s call to avoid actions that escalate tensions, we also note, with deep frustration, that the Secretary and his aides doubled down on this message in recent conversations with Israel’s leaders. Prime Minister Netanyahu and members of his cabinet listened – and did the opposite. Words do not impress this government of extremists and provocateurs. The United States’ government has numerous tools to demonstrate its discontent in actions rather than words. Time has come for action.”