The clashes occurred as the Israeli government announced another new settlement expansion — over 300 homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Neve Yaakov. This follows the 1,600 new settler homes announced last week during a visit from Vice President Joe Biden. On Tuesday, the Israeli government again rejected US calls to cancel the project, saying settlement construction would proceed “business as usual.” The Obama administration has canceled a visit from Middle East envoy George Mitchell in protest of the building. But in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed off from earlier criticism, calling US-Israel ties “unshakable.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “We have an absolute commitment to Israel’s security. We have a close unshakable bond between the United States and Israel and between the American Israeli people. We share common values and a commitment to a democratic future for the world, and we are both committed to a two-state solution. But that doesn’t mean that we’re going to agree.”