State Department blasts new Jerusalem construction

The State Department on Wednesday issued a scathing condemnation of Israel after it issued building permits for 181 new homes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, located in the southern part of the city.

 

Jerusalem spokeswoman Brachie Sprung said plans in Gilo were first approved in 2012 and that Wednesday’s approvals were for “technical details of plot distribution,” reported The Associated Press.

 

She said more detailed building permits will be required before the units are built.

 

Nevertheless, State Department spokesman John Kirby blasted the move, telling reporters, “We strongly oppose settlement activity.”

 

Kirby further stated that Israel’s actions “risk entrenching a one-state reality” and raise serious questions about the Jewish state’s commitment to a negotiated settlement with the Palestinian Authority.

 

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