Bitter US Denunciation of Israeli Settlement Construction
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The United States condemns Israeli expansion on the eve of the Israeli authorities intending to approve the building of 3,144 new settlement units in the West Bank.
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US State Department spokesperson Ned Price pauses while speaking during a briefing at the state department in Washington, DC, the US on August 2, 2021 (Reuters)
The United States bitterly criticized "Israel" on Tuesday over settlement expansion. The Biden administration said it 'strongly' opposed new construction on the West Bank.
This comes hours before the Israeli authorities intend to hold a session that would approve the construction of 3,144 settlement units in the occupied West Bank, which the European Union called a violation of international law.
The reaction came after a four-year US silence and even abetting on Israeli violations under Trump, as Washington permitted Israeli construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land - a blatant violation of international law that nearly the whole world turned a blind eye to.
The Trump era even saw US State Secretary Mike Pompeo touring a settlement toward the end of his tenure.
Recently, the United States had repeatedly warned against settlement expansion and construction on occupied Palestinian - a warning that was not followed by any action on the matter after the occupation ignored it.
The state department on Tuesday did something unprecedented under Biden, as it denounced the Israeli construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian territory. "We are deeply concerned about the Israeli government's plan to advance thousands of settlement units," said department spokesperson Ned Price.
The US comments came after the Israeli authorities announced Sunday the publication of tenders for the construction of more than 3,144 settlement units in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The US opposed the matter, as Price told reporters, "We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements, which is completely inconsistent with efforts to lower tensions and to ensure calm, and it damages the prospects for a two-state solution."
"We also view plans for the retroactive legalization of illegal outposts as unacceptable," the spokesman asserted.
Price did not say the construction of settlements would jeopardize relations with the occupation - which is not surprising - however, he did say the Biden administration would raise the issue "directly" with senior Israeli officials in private sessions.
The Wednesday session the Israeli government will hold could see the occupation approving the construction of 3,144 settlements in the West Bank, and those will include 30 units in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds, 380 units in "Kedumim," 292 units in "Kfar Ezion," and 286 units in "Har Brakha."
Sources say the occupation will approve the construction of the pending settlements in the upcoming session.
