It is not enough that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized for the "unfortunate timing" of the announcement that the country would issue building permits for 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem, which embarrassed U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden during his goodwill visit to Israel.
The housing decision is about more than optics and diplomatic niceties. It undercuts U.S. efforts to revive the peace process and feeds extremism by harming the credibility of moderate Palestinians. The U.S. used harsh language, "condemning" the announcement over new housing units. Even Canada saw fit to express "regret" over Israel's actions.
Israel has many enemies, at least one of which is clamouring after nuclear weapons. Mr. Netanyahu needs to reflect upon whether it really serves the long-term interests of his country to go out of the way to poke its best friends in the eye.
Mr. Netanyahu has said he was unaware that the announcement was going to be made, and his explanation and apology should be accepted at face value. However, while the timing humiliated Mr. Biden and reportedly left him fuming, it is something of a sideshow. If the announcement had been made a few weeks after Mr. Biden's departure, the effect on peace efforts would have been the same. Mr. Netanyahu needs to go further and put a halt to the construction plans.
While the current U.S. administration has not placed the Middle East process high on its agenda, it has still worked diligently to set the stage for proximity, or indirect, talks between the two sides. The highly regarded George Mitchell, U.S. Middle East special envoy and former senator, has been involved in this process for months, and the European Union, Russia, and United Nations are all playing a role.
As a sign of just how fraught the situation now is, on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Mr. Netanyahu to underscore her country's frustration. According to her spokesman, she said Israel's government had sent a "deeply negative signal" about the U.S.-Israeli relationship.
This is worrying on any number of levels. It is not just that Israel requires U.S. security assurances, but the U.S. needs its close ally, and indeed the international community needs the government of the sole democracy in the region, to be sincere in its interest in peace.
The very least that can be asked of Mr. Netanyahu is that his government play along in good faith.