The Obama administration said Tuesday that it was "dismayed" over Israel's approval to expand Jewish settlement construction in Jerusalem, voicing objection to Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing.
"At a time when we are working to relaunch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed," White House spokesman
Robert Gibbs, who is accompanying President Barack Obama on his Asia tour, said in a statement.
Early on Tuesday, the Jerusalem municipal planning committee approved the "Gilo's western slopes" construction plan, under which 900 housing units will be built in the form of 4-5 bedroom apartments, in an effort to lure more Israelis to reside.
Gilo, with a population of 40,000, is included within Jerusalem municipal boundaries demarcated by the Israeli government. Israel claims that Gilo is one of Jerusalem's neighborhoods, while the United Nations and
the Palestinians say that Gilo is a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.
The status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem has not
been internationally recognized, and the Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.
"Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations," said Gibbs,
adding that the United States also objects to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes.
"Our position is clear: the status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties," said the spokesman.
The Obama administration has been tired of pushing the Israeli government and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to relaunch the
long-stalled peace talks.
PNA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas insists that the talks would not be resumed until the Israeli government totally freezes the Jewish settlement
construction, while the Israeli side accuses the PNA of setting precondition for the peace talks.
Some 450,000 Israelis live in more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.