A Low Point in Israel-U.S. Relations

PM Netanyahu rejected U.S. demands to end the building of new houses in the settlements of East Jerusalem.
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A Low Point in Israel-U.S. Relations
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman denies that Israel's secret intelligence service, Mossad, is behind the assassination of Hamas military commander in Dubai on Jan. 19. Seen here, Lieberman speaks at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 8, 2010 (Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images)
3/15/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/ISRAEL.jpg" alt="U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit down for dinner at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on March 9. (David Furst/AFP/Getty Images)" title="U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit down for dinner at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on March 9. (David Furst/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1822064"/></a>
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit down for dinner at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on March 9. (David Furst/AFP/Getty Images)
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected U.S. demands to end the building of new houses in the settlements of East Jerusalem.

Relations between the two allies have become increasingly tense. Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, said on Monday that ties between the two countries were at their lowest point in 35 years, the BBC reported.

The announcement of the construction of 1,600 new housing units in disputed East Jerusalem came last week while U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Israel. A top aide to U.S. President Barack Obama called the announcement “destructive” to the peace efforts and an “insult” to the United States, BBC reported. Netanyahu has argued that the construction of the housing units posed no harm to Palestinians.