The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv said March 14 it was “deeply concerned” by Israel’s announcement of plans to build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank following a deadly attack on a settler family, calling Israeli settlements “illegitimate” and an obstacle to peacemaking.
“They murder, we build,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said March 13 during a condolence call to the grieving family. Palestinian militants are presumed to have carried out the assault.
The plans for new construction of 400 to 500 homes in major West Bank settlement blocs infuriated Palestinians and, together with the attack, drove prospects for renewed peacemaking even further out of reach. A Netanyahu aide said the Israeli government informed the U.S. — which has been toiling with little success to break the negotiations deadlock — of the decision.
“We’re deeply concerned by continuing Israeli actions on settlements in the West Bank,” the statement from the U.S. Embassy said. “As we said before, we view these settlements as illegitimate and as running counter to efforts to resume direct negotiations.” — ap