There is a person in the US east Jerusalem consulate, Bill Roebuck, and his job is to cover the issue of the settlements and this is what he does. He is a serious worker and every time we publish something he contacts us to ask about every piece of data. I can't believe that it is his study because his is very serious. And while Peace Now has every interest to support such American claims, Raz candidly admits that only the settlements in the hinterlands far from the Green Line have a significant number of empty homes. Raz wasn't alone.
Mistakes can happen.
So when US Consul-General Edward Abington met with reporters later in the day there was every reason to expect a graceful withdrawal. Instead Abington opted to publicly embrace the numbers. America is clearly more interested in the propaganda value of the report than in its accuracy. The current propaganda campaign is only one part of a larger approach which, ultimately, is anti-peace. For while the US has focused its spy satellites and devoted precious man hours counting the supposedly empty houses in Ariel, it seems to be doing nothing about Palestinian activity which may topple the peace process.