Reply #5: U.S. condemns Israeli plan for new construction beyond Green Line

[Scurrilous]

EU, Palestinians also denounce Israel's plan for 1,100 new homes in Jerusalem's contested Gilo neighborhood

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"The U.S. condemned Tuesday Israel's plan to build 1,100 new housing units in Jerusalem's contested Gilo neighborhood, which lies beyond the Green Line.

"These kinds of actions are counterproductive to the resumption of direct negotiations," a State Department official said.

"Our position has not changed: Like every American administration for decades, we do not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity. We believe their continued expansion is corrosive not only to peace efforts and two-state solution, but to Israel’s future itself," the U.S. official said.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also expressed disappointment with Israel's new plan to build homes in Gilo, saying they "should be reversed" since it undermines peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

Ashton told the EU parliament that she heard "with deep regret" that Israeli plans to build homes beyond the Green Line were continuing.

Speaking in Strasbourg, France, Ashton said the expansion of settlements "threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution" between the two sides, as backed by the EU, the United States, Russia and the United Nations."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-condemns-israeli-plan-for-new-construction-beyond-green-line-1.387055