Falcon29
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US calls Israel settlement plans unfortunate - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
The United States has described as "unfortunate" plans by the Israeli government to build 500 new illegal settler homes in East Jerusalem.
The US response came after a panel of the Israeli interior ministry gave approval on Monday for the new homes in Ramat Shlomo, a neighbourhood built on West Bank territory captured in the 1967 war and annexed to Jerusalem.
The announcement by Jerusalem's Planning and Building Committee to approve construction of 500 housing units in Ramat Shlomo is the first step in a long series of approvals needed before actual construction can begin and the process should take years.
The US criticised the decision, reiterating its view that settlements are "illegitimate".
"It is unfortunate that after the unequivocal and unanimous position last week of the international community, opposing construction in East Jerusalem, at this sensitive time the Israeli authorities chose to move forward," said Edgar Vasquez, a spokesman for the US State Department in Washington.
"We continue to engage at the highest level with the Israeli government to make our position absolutely clear - that we view settlement activity as illegitimate and that we unequivocally oppose unilateral steps that prejudge the future of Jerusalem."
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The United States has described as "unfortunate" plans by the Israeli government to build 500 new illegal settler homes in East Jerusalem.
The US response came after a panel of the Israeli interior ministry gave approval on Monday for the new homes in Ramat Shlomo, a neighbourhood built on West Bank territory captured in the 1967 war and annexed to Jerusalem.
The announcement by Jerusalem's Planning and Building Committee to approve construction of 500 housing units in Ramat Shlomo is the first step in a long series of approvals needed before actual construction can begin and the process should take years.
The US criticised the decision, reiterating its view that settlements are "illegitimate".
"It is unfortunate that after the unequivocal and unanimous position last week of the international community, opposing construction in East Jerusalem, at this sensitive time the Israeli authorities chose to move forward," said Edgar Vasquez, a spokesman for the US State Department in Washington.
"We continue to engage at the highest level with the Israeli government to make our position absolutely clear - that we view settlement activity as illegitimate and that we unequivocally oppose unilateral steps that prejudge the future of Jerusalem."
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