WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Dec. 4 that the United States will oppose the creation ...

of new illegal settlements by the upcoming Zionist regime in the occupied West Bank. The Washington diplomacy chief called the possibility of achieving the two-state solution unlikely, adding that moving away from it will be detrimental to Israel’s security in the long run.

For the first time in years, the U.S. government has again sharply criticized Israeli settlement construction. The U.S. State Department has sharply criticized the continuation of settlement construction by the new Israeli government in the occupied West Bank. It is “deeply concerned” about the latest announcements, said State Department spokesman Ned Price. “We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements,” Price added.

This, he said, runs counter to efforts to reduce tensions and affects the prospect of a two-state solution. Price announced that the U.S. government would address the settlement plans with Israeli government officials in camera.
German Chancellor also stressed, “As before, we don’t want to give up the idea of a two-state solution, but maintain it.” In her view, Israel’s security would also be “best guaranteed if there is also a state for the Palestinians to live in.”
Israel plans to build thousands of homes

It is the first time in years that the U.S. has publicly and harshly criticized Israel’s settlement policy. US President Joe Biden thus sharply contrasts with the course of his predecessor in office, Donald Trump. Under him, the U.S. had given blanket approval to Israeli settlement activities on occupied Palestinian territory.

The reason for the U.S. government’s criticism was the Israeli government’s announcement that it would press ahead with settlement expansion in the West Bank. A spokesman for Israeli Housing Minister Seew Elkin had said on Sunday that tenders for the marketing of more than 1,300 apartments had been published. Among them were 729 apartments in the settler town of Ariel and 346 in the settlement of Beit El. Already a few days earlier there had been reports about the planned approval of construction plans for more than 3,000 apartments in Israeli settlements as well as 1,300 apartments in Palestinian villages in the West Bank.

Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. Some 600,000 Israelis live there today in more than 200 settlements. In 2016, the UN Security Council described these settlements as a violation of international law and called on Israel to halt all settlement activity. The Palestinians want to establish their own state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister, who was not sworn in until mid-June, is considered a fierce opponent of a two-state solution. His Jamina party has many supporters among Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

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