American leadership is once again being challenged in the Middle East.  But this time, it is not Iran, Iraq, or some other predictable actor that is doing the challenging.  This time, it is Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu who is stating, unequivocally, that while he supports American efforts to promote Middle East peace, he rejects American calls for actions that the Obama administration has identified as necessary to move the process forward.  In particular, Netanyahu publicly rejected the Administration's call to stop Israeli settlement construction in East Jerusalem, directly rebuking longstanding American policy and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's call for such a move at this week's AIPAC conference.

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Yesterday's announcement by Israel to continue expanding settlements in East Jerusalem has demonstrated fragility of the situation there, which has direct implications for American national security interests in the region. America's national security interests are deeply intertwined in the Middle East.  American national security leaders and experts agree that as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict persists, the U.S. will lack the credibility it needs to ensure that its vital security interests in the region are achieved.  This is why the Obama administration, as well as multiple predecessor Administrations from both parties, have made resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a core foreign policy priority.    

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