US official: 'Unrestrained settlement activity doesn't help peace'

Responding to reports that Israel will advance plans for thousands of new settlement homes in the West Bank, a US official says “unrestrained settlement activity does not advance the prospect for peace.”

Construction of new housing in the Israeli settlement of Kfar Adumim, September 25, 2017. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

The unnamed government official tells AFP that “while we are not going to respond to every announcement or report, our policy toward settlements remains unchanged.

“The administration has made clear that unrestrained settlement activity does not advance the prospect for peace. At the same time the administration recognizes that past demands for a settlement freeze have not helped advance peace talks.”