(CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration so far has refused to say whether it is bound by key written assurances President Bush made to Israel five years ago, relating to Jewish settlements in areas demanded by the Palestinians for a future state.

Three different State Department spokesmen sidestepped the issue at three separate daily briefings last week, refusing multiple times to provide a simple yes or no answer to the question: Is Bush’s letter to then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, dated Apr. 14, 2004, binding on the Obama administration?

Jewish advocacy groups are calling for an unambiguous response...