JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (EJP)—“The real obstacle to peace is not the settlements – a final status issue that can and must be resolved in negotiations between the parties — but the persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in response to sharp criticism from the US administration over construction plans in the West Bank.
The White House and the state department condemned proposals for the construction of up to 300 units in the West Bank area of Shiloh.
Mark Toner, the deputy State Department spokesman, said that the construction plans were “deeply troubling,” especially in the wake of the recent huge US military aid agreement with Israel.
Toner also said that it was “disheartening” that so soon after the death of Israel’s former-President Shimon Peres “plans were advanced that would seriously undermine the prospects for the two-state solution that he so passionately supported”.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said: “We did receive public assurances from this [Israeli] government that contradict this announcement. I guess when we’re talking about how friends treat each other, that’s a source of serious concern as well.”
The Israeli plans are designed to house those who are scheduled to be removed from the West Bank outpost of Amona later this year. Israel’s High Court ruled that Amona has been illegally constructed on private Palestinian land and must be evicted. The plans also include the possibility of a second phase of 200 units.
An Israeli foreign ministry statement said: “The 98 housing units approved in Shiloh do not constitute a ‘new settlement’.
“This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shiloh and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic footprint.”