US 'deeply troubled' by Israeli settlement plan

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Jun 26, 2023

Posters bearing the portraits of recently killed Israelis, with "revenge" written underneath them in Hebrew. — Posters bearing the portraits of recently killed Israelis, with "revenge" written underneath them in Hebrew are plastered along the Tapuach junction bus station, guarded by an Israeli soldier, near the Jewish settlement of Kfar Tapuach in the occupied West Bank, on June 25, 2023. — MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — The State Department voiced concern over Israel’s latest move to advance housing units in settlements across the West Bank at a time of surging violence in the occupied territory.

On Monday, the Israeli Defense Ministry planning committee that handles settlement building approved more than 5,000 new housing units, including at the Eli settlement, near where four Israelis were killed by Palestinian gunmen last week.

“We are deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s reported decision to advance planning for over 4,000 settlements in the West Bank," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday.

"We believe that settlements are an impediment to a negotiated two-state solution along 1967 lines, which ultimately we believe is the best way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Miller said. “Our opinions about this are quite clear, and we will continue to make it known.”