Ben Rhodes, the US deputy national security adviser, told Haaretz that building in Judea and Samaria is permanently undermining the chances of realizing a two-state solution. He added that, over the next few years, Israel will find itself having to defend its policies more and more.
"It is not something the U.S. or the international community has chosen to make an issue," said Rhodes. "It’s an issue because there are settlements being built in the West Bank. That’s not going to go away — that’s going be an issue of international concern. There is no alternative that people can just forget this issue and say, ‘You know what, it is just going to work itself out.’ It is only going to get more difficult over time."