We're Still "Obstacles" But To What?

Funny, we Jewish revenants residing in Jewish communities in areas of the internationally-recognized Jewish national home, within areas that the international community decided to facillitate our 'close settlement by Jews on the land' * [Article 6, League of Nations Mandate], who were condemned in decades past as "obstacles to peace" ** are now something else:

Brown condemns Israeli settlers

Gordon Brown has issued a condemnation of Israeli settlement-building in the Middle East ahead of a visit by prime minister Ehud Olmert...Speaking at a press conference with Mr Fayyad yesterday, Mr Brown described the settlements in the West Bank as an obstacle to progress.

I guess we can't please everyone.

But in going from being an obstacle to peace (a la Carter) to an obstacle to progress (a la Brown), have we made progress or are we regressing?

Or is it that certain politicians are doing the regressing?


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*

The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.


**

I[Jimmy Carter]...and all my predecessors had categorized each settlement as both illegal and an obstacle to peace...President George H.W. Bush and Secretary James Baker at Madrid...reemphasized U.S. opposition to Israeli settlements and even...Jim Baker announced, "I don't think there is any greater obstacle to peace than settlement activity..…"