WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is ready to "reward Israel for its bad behavior," a former ambassador to Israel and Egypt said Saturday. In an op-ed piece to be published Sunday in The Washington Post, Daniel Kurtzer said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reportedly offered Israel billions of dollars in military aid in return for a three-month freeze on settlement construction that does not include East Jerusalem. He said the deal is bad for both countries and for the prospects of long-term peace in the region. "This is a very bad idea," Kurtzer said. "And while Washington will almost certainly come to regret bribing Israel, Israel may regret receiving such a bribe even more." Kurtzer, who retired from the State Department in 2006 after serving as ambassador to Egypt under President Bill Clinton and to Israel under President George W. Bush, teaches at Princeton University. He was a vigorous supporter of Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. In his op-ed, Kurtzer said the United States has opposed settlement construction in territories seized by Israel during the 1967 war for more than 40 years. In the past, he said, US policy has been to penalize Israel for the settlements, not to offer rewards.
