Washington, DC, March 25 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) welcomed today remarks by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, in which the Secretary criticized Israel's expansion plans for the West Bank settlement of Maaleh Adumim as both being "at odds with American policy" and threatening progress towards peace with the Palestinians to-date. Secretary of State Rice made her comments in an interview with the Los Angeles Times and follows Israeli government confirmation that Israel has approved the construction of 3,500 new homes to link up the West Bank settlement of Maaleh Adumim with occupied Arab East Jerusalem. "The choice of words made by Secretary of State Rice, that settlement expansion contradicts U.S. policy 'full stop,' is commendable in its clarity," ATFP president Ziad Asali said.

ATFP has consistently maintained that settlement growth of any sort is a violation of Israel's Roadmap obligations. 'Settlement activity aimed at isolating East Jerusalem from the West Bank is particularly damaging,' Asali continued. 'In addition to endangering a very fragile peace process and undermining Palestinian president Abbas, such activity predetermines an issue reserved for final-status negotiations and makes a future Palestinian state territorially non-contiguous and unviable. No Palestinian could ever accept a Palestinian state without a capital in Arab East Jerusalem.'

ATFP urges the Bush administration to continue using its good offices to ensure that Prime Minister Sharon's government live up to its Roadmap obligations regarding settlements and that this new settlement construction program not go forward.