Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has moved to soften the Washington's tough rhetoric over Israel's announcement that it will build 1,600 new settler homes.<br /><br />At home, the White House has been criticised by US legislators and pro-Israel lobby groups for its harsh stance towards Israel.<br /><br />And abroad, the Obama administration wants to avoid being seen to favour Israel, for fear of possible international backlash that could hurt its foreign policy agenda.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports. (Mar 17, 2010)
