(Washington) The United States on Thursday criticized Israeli authorities’ approval of plans to build a new settlement in the occupied West Bank on land listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made the announcement on Wednesday, saying openly that Israel wanted to create a state of affairs on the ground that would “fight against the dangerous project of creating a Palestinian state.”
“Each of these new settlements would hamper Palestinian economic development and freedom of movement, and make a two-state solution less feasible,” Vedant Patel, a spokesman for the US State Department, told reporters.
“We consider this to be in contradiction with international law, and we obviously oppose the expansion of settlements in the West Bank,” he added.
The United States has stepped up its criticism of Mr. Smotrich and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, far-right allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who oppose a plan by US President Joe Biden for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli colonization in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, is illegal under international law.
The Biden administration has regularly criticized Israel’s continued settlement activity in the West Bank, including before the Gaza war, but has taken no retaliatory measures against its close ally.
The previous US administration, under President Donald Trump, broke with traditional US policy on settlements, arguing that they were not contrary to international law.
The Israeli anti-colonization NGO “Peace Now” has denounced the authorization of plans to build the colony on land declared as state property by the Israeli authorities.
The Palestinian village of Battir, whose houses are to adjoin the future settlement according to the NGO, is known for its agricultural terraces, its vineyards and its olives and has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.