RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in an unusual public criticism of Israel, said Wednesday that its plan to destroy dozens of Palestinian homes in Arab East Jerusalem was "unhelpful" and contrary to Israel's obligations under a U.S.-backed peace plan.
Clinton, closing her first foray into Middle East peacemaking, said the implications of the decision to raze the homes for an archaeological project "go far beyond" the 88 homes affected by Israel's plans. She said she would raise that issue, as well as concern over the growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, with Israeli officials.
Clinton's comments were delivered with some emotion during an appearance with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and came at a time when both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are scrutinizing her words to try to divine where her loyalties lie and what to expect from the Obama administration.
Meanwhile, at a Tehran conference in support of the Palestinian cause, Iran's leadership unleashed a torrent of rhetoric against Israeli and U.S. attempts to resolve the conflict.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful political and religious figure, derided the Obama administration's Middle East policies as the same as those of its predecessors, despite promises of change, and he described armed "resistance" as the only path toward a Palestinian state.
Despite the criticism of Israel, Clinton moved cautiously during a two-day visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank that marked the beginning of her effort to push for a "comprehensive" peace effort between Israel and its neighbors.
Clinton also stressed in an appearance with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday that U.S. officials understood Israel's security concerns, and she called on the militant group Hamas to halt its rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
Clinton said she intended to air concerns with the Israelis only in a "constructive" way.
"We are raising these issues in a way we hope is helpful," she said.
Israeli authorities have been embroiled in controversy for years over plans for an East Jerusalem archaeological site devoted to Jewish history and sites associated with the biblical King David. The homeowners in the Silwan quarter have now received eviction notices saying the buildings were built illegally and are to be torn down.
