Israeli Settlement Family Murdered; U.S. says Further Settlements 'illegitimate'

An Israeli family, consisting of two parents and three children (one very small) was killed when someone broke into their home in the middle of the night and slaughtered them. The perpetrator(s) was presumably a Palestinain Muslim. Because the family lived in a settlement home, that is the likely motive.

It now looks like Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of Fatah, may have claimed responsibility. Via Ynet:

According to an unverified report, Fatah's military wing – the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – claimed responsibility for the attack. A group spokesman told a Palestinian news agency that a terror cell infiltrated the settlement of Itamar and committed the attack.

The spokesperson stressed that the attack "came as a response to Israel's continues hostile policy toward the Palestinian people."

All of this appears to be leading to another showdown between Israel and the U.S. as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in conjunction with his nation's recent approval of 300-500 more settlements, 'They murder, we build.'

Via the AP:

JERUSALEM (AP) -- The U.S. Embassy said Monday it was "deeply concerned" by Israel's plans to build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank following a deadly attack on a settler family, calling Israeli settlements "illegitimate" and an obstacle to peacemaking.

Barely a peep out of the Obama administration - if one at all - about the murder of five innocent people. Instead, not succumbing to terrorism is somehow an obstruction to the peace process.

Who knew?

h/t Weasel Zippers