WASHINGTON
The U.S. has called on Israel to reverse its decision to confiscate Palestinian land in East Jerusalem.
"We are deeply concerned about the declaration of a large area as ‘state land’ to be used for expanded settlement building," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Tuesday. "We have long made clear our opposition to continued settlement activity."
Israeli authorities announced Sunday the confiscation of almost 1,000 acres of land near the Jewish settlement of Gush Etzion in Hebron province, in the southern West Bank.
Psaki also noted that the U.S. is concerned about reports about Israeli construction or plans for such in East Jerusalem, including for the sensitive area of Giv'at Hamatos.
"These steps are contrary to Israel's stated goal of negotiating a permanent status agreement with the Palestinians, and it would send a very troubling message if they proceed," she said.
Israel's announcement comes on the heels of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intense criticism at home - including from within his own coalition - for a costly 50-day conflict in Gaza with no clear victor.
Israeli authorities gave Palestinians and human rights organizations 45 days to submit their legal objections to the decision in Israeli courts.
Israeli settlement building projects in Jerusalem and the West Bank have been in full swing recently as peace talks with the Palestinians collapsed earlier this year.
International law views the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories," considering all Jewish settlement building on the land illegal.
About 500,000 Israelis now live in more than 100 Jewish-only settlements built since Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. Palestinians want these areas returned, along with the Gaza Strip, in order to help establish a future state of their own.
Palestinian negotiators insist that Israeli settlement building on Arab land must stop before a comprehensive peace agreement can be reached.
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