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Israel is eating itself. The chickens are coming home to roost. Israel announcement during Joe Biden's visit that it would build more houses on occupied territories is now an "insult" and "destructive".
Here's what top Obama adviser David Axelrod had to say on NBC this weekend
"This was an affront, it was an insult but most importantly it undermined this very fragile effort to bring peace to that region," said David Axelrod, one of President Barack Obama's closest advisers.
"We have just started proximity talks, that is shuttle diplomacy, between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and for this announcement to come at that time was very destructive," he said on NBC television's Meet the Press show.
Biden himself condemned the east Jerusalem building plan in a sharp statement issued in Jerusalem and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Netanyahu directly in a 43-minute phone call that the announcement sent a "deeply negative" signal about Israel's approach to relations with Washington.
Axelrod said both Biden's and Clinton's words reflected Obama's thinking, and he said he believed Netanyahu had received the message.
But there was no sign Washington was prepared to let go of the issue.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Netanyahu's expression of regret was "a good start" but suggested that the Israeli leader had more to do to placate his country's closest ally.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, he said that in her conversation with Netanyahu, Clinton outlined steps that the United States thinks he should take.
"I think what would be an even better start is coming to the table with constructive ideas for constructive and trustful dialogue about moving the peace process forward," he said.