The U.S. State Department said in a press release Wednesday that it is “deeply concerned” that Israel continues to build apartments in disputed areas of Jerusalem and the West Bank.
“We are deeply concerned about the Israeli government’s announcement today of the advancement of nearly 300 new housing units in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, as well as hundreds of new housing units in East Jerusalem,” said the statement from Deputy Department Spokesman Mark C. Toner.
The statement read:
The United States continues to view settlements as illegitimate and we strongly oppose steps to advance construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settlement expansion threatens the two-state solution and calls into question Israel’s commitment to a negotiated resolution to the conflict.
“We continue to urge the Israeli government to refrain from unhelpful actions that undercut the possibility of a two-state solution,” Toner concluded.
Relations continue to sour between the Obama administration and the state of Israel, as the latter has come out unanimously opposed to the nuclear accord agreed to by world powers and the Iranian regime.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a local radio station in Israel that Secretary of State John Kerry “really has no reason to come here.” The Israeli Prime Minister’s comments came in response to the revelation that Kerry was going to skip over Israel on his Middle East trip this weekend.
The European Union, a notoriously anti-Israel body that has illegally built up settlements in the contested areas, demanded Thursday that the international community intervene “to stop dangerous Israeli policies that could lead to further deterioration.”
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