US says Israel's new settlements in West Bank are 'inconsistent' with international law
(VOVWORLD) - The Biden administration on Friday said Israel's expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank is inconsistent with international law, signaling a return to long-standing US policy on the issue that had been reversed by the previous administration of Donald Trump.
The move comes a day after Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers had agreed to convene a planning council to approve some 3,300 homes to be built in settlements. Most of these houses are in the West Bank, east of Jerusalem.
Palestine protested Israel's plan, saying the move undermines the chances of achieving a two-state solution.