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The United States on Wednesday reiterated its opposition to Israel's decision to build more settler homes in East Jerusalem, saying the move could "exacerbate " an already-tense situation there.
"We are deeply concerned by this decision, particularly given the tense situation in Jerusalem as well as the unequivocal and unanimous position of the United States and others in the international community opposing such construction in East Jerusalem," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told reporters at a daily news briefing.
"These decisions to expand construction have the potential to exacerbate this difficult situation on the ground, and they will not contribute to efforts to reduce tensions," she added.
Israeli officials on Wednesday pushed forward with plans to build 200 housing units in Ramat Shlomo, a settlement neighborhood of Jerusalem, the third time this month Israel has approved new construction for settlers in Arab East Jerusalem.
The move comes at a time of daily clashes between Palestinian youths and the Israeli police over access to the holy site of Temple Mount in East Jerusalem, and the continuing construction in the settlement.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was on his way to Amman, Jordan for meetings with King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to defuse the tension, Psaki said.
She said the ongoing construction announcements "do fly in the face of the stated goal of achieving a two-state solution because it predetermines or pre-decides where construction should be, where buildings should be, and other areas where settlements should be."
The settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. Several rounds of peace talks between Israel and Palestine had collapsed over the former's continuing building of settlement.
Psaki also denounced the attack on a mosque in the West Bank, saying "Such hateful and provocative actions against a place of worship are never justified. We look to law enforcement officials to quickly investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this attack."
A Palestinian mosque in the village of al-Maghir near Ramallah in the West Bank was set ablaze and a fire-bomb was thrown at a Jewish synagogue in two separate incidents early Wednesday.
The village's mayor blamed Jewish settlers for the arson. Enditem
