The U.S. government warned Israel Wednesday that its plans for new housing projects in the highly contested territory of east Jerusalem could jeopardize relationships between close allies, and call into question its commitment to peace with Palestinians.
"The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in 1967, as the capital of a future state," reported the Associated Press. "While Israel considers east Jerusalem as part of its capital, the U.S. and most of the international community consider such construction projects to be illegal settlements."
President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met yesterday at the White House, where Obama did raise the issue of settlements, according to Netanyahu, but the discussion did not focus on specifics. Instead, most of the private discussions revolved around Iran, which Netanyahu recently claimed was a bigger threat than Hamas or ISIS.
Criticism from the White House came a few hours after the meeting between Obama and Netanyahu, when Obama's Press Secretary Josh Earnest restated the president's privately raised concerns with Netanyahu, according to the Associated Press.
"This development will only draw condemnation from the international community," Earnest said. "It also would call into question Israel's ultimate commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians."
According to reporters traveling with Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister rebutted the criticism by saying that people shouldn't make such statements without first having all of the information.
The criticism revolves around a new 2,500 unit project that "would complete a band of Jewish areas that separate Jerusalem from nearby Bethlehem," said the Associated Press. "The U.S. has repeatedly criticized Israeli construction in east Jerusalem, casting it as damaging to efforts to secure an elusive peace accord with the Palestinians."
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also stated during a briefing that the construction of additional housing would send a "troubling message" that "will only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from even its closet allies, poision the atmosphere not only with the Palestinians but also with the very Arab governments with which Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to build relations," reported Reuters.
