Jordan on Sunday condemned Israel’s approval of the construction of nearly 800 new housing units in Samaria.
The move is a "flagrant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, mainly the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334," Daifallah Fayez, spokesman of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement quoted by the Xinhua news agency.
The Jordanian official added that “settlement policy”, including building and expanding “settlement units”, as well as activities related to land confiscation and displacing Palestinians, is "an illegal and rejected policy that mirrors unilateral action that undermines chances for peace and two-state solution."
Earlier on Sunday, the Defense Ministry's Civil Administration Higher Planning Committee issued building permits to 792 new homes in towns across Samaria.
The permits were issued after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave his backing for the construction permits.
The construction was also condemned by the European Union (EU).
“Israel's latest decision to advance plans for the approval and construction of almost 800 new settlement units in the West Bank, is contrary to international law and further undermines the prospects of a viable two-state solution,” it said in a statement.
The EU also urged Israel to freeze plans to market homes set to be built in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood of Jerusalem, which the EU does not recognize as being in sovereign Israeli territory.
“The EU also reiterates its call on the government of Israel to suspend the ongoing bidding process for the construction of housing units for an entirely new settlement in Givat Hamatos.”