The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said it was "deeply concerned" by the Interior Ministry's decision to approve 930 new housing units in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa, calling the move "detrimental to efforts to relaunch peace talks with the Palestinians."
The U.S. objection to the plan follows a condemnation last week from the EU over the decision.
Interior Minister Eli Yishai gave final approval to the new Har Homa housing units last Thursday, but the project was initially approved two years ago. Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and claims it as part of its undivided capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
In an announcement published Tuesday, the State Department said, "the United States is deeply concerned" by the move because "unilateral actions work against efforts to resume direct negotiations and contradict the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties." The State Department also said that the U.S. government objected to the move, stressing that disputes between both sides must be resolved through negotiations.
“We believe that through good faith direct negotiations, the parties should agree on an outcome that realizes the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem, and safeguards its unique religious status for people around the world,” the State Department statement read.
Following, Israel's announcement last week, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Friday also expressed disapproval for the plan.
"I am profoundly disappointed by Thursday's approval of a project that has triggered fierce criticism from the Palestinians and the international community," Ashton said.
Meanwhile, a New York Times editorial published on Sunday said the Palestinians' efforts to ask the U.N. for unilateral recognition of statehood in September could profoundly damage all parties involved, and further isolate the U.S. and Israel. The U.S. has said it would veto such a move at the Security Council and that peace can only be achieved through negotiations.
"To have any chance of inducing the Palestinians to drop their statehood bid — and finally move the peace process forward — the United States and its partners should put a map and a deal on the table, with a timeline for concluding negotiations and a formal U.N. statehood vote," the editorial said. "The Security Council and the Arab League need to throw their full weight behind it. "
Envoy says U.S. economic woes won't affect defense budget
Dan Shapiro, thenew U.S. Ambassador to Israel, on Tuesday said that despite instability in the U.S. economy, it would not affect the transfer of the annual defense budget to Israel.
Shaprio made the comments during a tour of the Iron Dome rocket-defense system in Ashkelon, and added that America's commitment to Israel's security is consistent despite fluctuations in the U.S. economy.
"As the U.S. president said, we will get out of this," Shapiro said referring to the crisis sparked by the unprecedented downgrade of the U.S. credit rating by Standard & Poor's. The ambassador said that U.S. President Barack Obama and Congress were united in their decision to transfer full financial aid to Israel to maintain its security. "I believe our commitment [to Israel] will continue."
Shapiro took office in Israel last Wednesday. His tour of the Iron Dome battery marks his first work visit in the country and he made no secret of his praise for the rocket interceptor.
"We believe in this successful Israeli technology," he said.
U.S. military aid to Israel totals $3 billion per year over the span of a decade. The U.S. also recently increased its aid by $205 million to be used for further development of defense systems. Two months ago the Pentagon announced it would assist Israel in the purchase of four additional batteries for the Iron Dome system.
