Chutzpah is as chutzpah does.

If Israel were financially independent, then their comments about American meddling might make sense. But how many millions -- a billion? -- of American dollars flow to them annually out of the American taxpayer pockets?

Danny Danon, a Likud legislator and a deputy speaker of the Parliament who supports additional settlement construction, said that Mrs. Clinton’s “meddling in internal Israeli decisions regarding the development of our capital Jerusalem is uninvited and unhelpful.”

“In fact it is sheer chutzpah,” Mr. Danon said.

Professor Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, said the “Americans decided to make a crisis” over the proposed construction in Ramat Shlomo, “probably in order to extract more concessions from Israel.”

But Professor Inbar also offered some criticism of Mr. Netanyahu, saying that he was disappointed with the prime minister’s apologies. “I expected him to say ‘Jerusalem is ours’ and he did not,” he said. “From my point of view he is trying to be too flexible.”

Fine, be independent and do as you like. Don't expect American troops to be rushed to the region and spill their blood when the stinkin' Israeli leaders don't have the will to understand they can't continue to build and appease their internal extremists. (who indeed are terrorists when they act violently and kill for the land G-d allegedly gave them...)

It will be interesting to see if Secretatary of State Clinton and the Obama administration capitulate on this point, or stand strong. It's not the timing at issue here; it's the underlying land grabs and refusal to bargain in good faith with one's allies that has riled the region and left many wondering if America will indeed be the weakest player involved.

Israel needs to be weaned off America's financial teat before undertaking further expansion plans. Or else their leaders should wise up to how many longstanding committed relationships seem to fail, when one party or the other refuses to make the necessary adjustments to move a relationship forward.

Because nothing lasts forever without honesty and hard work. You can practically bank on it.

ADDED: Who exactly is this David Frum, and what are the "Southern Irish"? Sounds pretty stupid to me, and his joke clearly fell flat.