By RYAN FAGANUpdated: MARCH 3, 2016 20:40
As Vice President Biden nears his upcoming visit to Israel, lets remember in March of 2010, Vice President Biden was greeted in Israel by the announcement of new settlement construction. Despite the flap and repeated American condemnations of new settlement announcements, construction has continued unabated and the West Bank settler population has grown by 25% in the years since. Israeli settlements hurt the peace process. Opposing settlements is longstanding, bipartisan American policy. However, decades of statements and condemnation have not stopped the unrelenting expansion of settlements in the West Bank. American Jews and Jews around the world need to keep speaking out against the expansion of settlements. Fanning the flames by continuing expansion is going to cause nothing but continued pain and anguish and no real peace in the region. Settlement expansion risks Israel's future as the democratic home for the Jewish people and one of America's strongest partners. In addition to straining Israel's economy, military and democracy, settlements also harm prospects for peace in the Middle East. Furthermore, continued settlement expansion makes it more challenging for the US to defend Israel on the world stage.I call on VP Biden to make it clear to Netanyahu that continued expansion of settlements will at some point cause the US to not be able to keep defending Israel on the world stage.