US slams 'provocative and counterproductive' settlement building

State Department calls latest approval of new homes in Gilo and elsewhere as ‘systematically undermining prospects for two-state solution’

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PHILADELPHIA — The US State Department said it was “deeply concerned” about new reports of construction approvals for Israeli homes over the Green Line Wednesday and said building in such sensitive areas runs counter to Israel’s stated goal of achieving a two-state solution.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli government announced its approval of 323 tenders for units in East Jerusalem, and on Monday announced plans to build 770 units in Gilo. While much of the international community considers Gilo a settlement, Israel considers it a neighborhood of annexed East Jerusalem.

State’s communications director John Kirby released a statement castigating these announcements, saying they called into question Israel’s commitment to a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

“We strongly oppose settlement activity, which is corrosive to the cause of peace,” it said. “These steps by Israeli authorities are the latest examples of what appears to be a steady acceleration of settlement activity that is systematically undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.”

Kirby also expressed concern over what he called Israel’s ongoing practice of demolishing Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The statement noted that the demolitions “reportedly have left dozens of Palestinians homeless, including children.”

State Department Spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the State Department on January 6, 2015 in Washington, DC. (AFP PHOTO/MANDEL NGAN)

“More than 650 Palestinian structures have been demolished this year, with more Palestinian structures demolished in the West Bank and East Jerusalem thus far than in all of 2015,” it said.

The statement ended by quoting the recent Quartet Report, which cited settlement expansion as an obstacle to achieving a comprehensive accommodation between Israelis and Palestinians, while also blaming Palestinian incitement.

“As the recent Quartet Report highlighted, this is part of an ongoing process of land seizures, settlement expansion, legalizations of outposts, and denial of Palestinian development that risk entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict,” the statement said.

“We remain troubled that Israel continues this pattern of provocative and counterproductive action, which raises serious questions about Israel’s ultimate commitment to a peaceful, negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.”