The US condemned the approval of approximately 3,500 new housing units in Maaleh Adumim, Efrat, and Kedar.
“Settlements continue to be a barrier to peace. Settlements continue to be inconsistent with international law,” US State Department Matthew Miller told reporters Wednesday, following the announcement.
“These settlements don’t just harm the Palestinian people, but they ultimately weaken Israel’s security and weaken the prospects for a lasting agreement that would provide real peace and real security for the Israeli people,” Miller added.
Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US would consider all Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria to be illegal, reversing the policy of his predecessor that it is not illegal for Jews to live in Judea and Samaria.
Blinken said the new construction is counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace and then added, "They're also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion, and in our judgment, this only weakens, doesn't strengthen Israel's security.”
The US had not considered Israeli settlements to be illegal from the Reagan Administration through the Trump Administration.