In striking choice of words, Obama's chief of staff elevates public rhetoric against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

© thehill.comThe White House chief of staff, Denis McDonough, told the lobby group J Street that the US would never support unilateral Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
President Obama's chief of staff Denis McDonough on Monday made a striking announcement on behalf of the administration
by telling a crowd of Jewish-American political activists that Israel's military "occupation" of the West Bank must end as he pushed back against comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both before and after his recent reelection victory."An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end," said McDonough at the annual J Street conference in Washington, DC.
"Israel cannot maintain military control of another people indefinitely."J Street is billed as the more liberal, pro-Israel lobby group which in recent years has tried to offset the more hawkish American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC.Though Israel's domination of the West Bank and its continued building of settlements on captured Palestinian lands has long been considered a
violation of international law and is the basis for some much of the ongoing conflict, the U.S. government—including the Obama administration—has widely supported Israel's activities, defended it from international sanctions at the United Nations, provided the Israeli military with a constant flow of aid, and
rarely, if ever, employed the term "occupation" despite its commonplace use elsewhere in the world when describing the situation.
Comment: Applaudable sentiments and cracks in the veneer, a welcome mini-change. (Testing the waters?) However, actions speak louder than words. If you are going to use new words, create new actions; create new outcomes. What is the US really prepared to do in curbing Israeli occupation enthusiasm and facilitating a true Palestinian state?