White House Condemns Israeli Decision To Expand Settlements In The West Bank

Thanks, Karina. Israeli cabinet has voted to expand settlements, Israeli settlements into the West Bank. What's the five administration's position on that? So a couple of things on that, on those reporting or what we've seen. We are deeply dismayed by Israeli's announcement that they will advance thousands of new settlements and retroactively legalize nine outposts in the West Bank that were, until now, illegal under Israeli law. The United States strongly opposes these unilateral measures, which exacerbates tensions, harm, trust between the parties, and undermine the geographic viability of the two-state solution. During his recent trip to Israel, Secretary Blinken was clear that all parties should refrain from actions that heighten tensions and take us further away from peace. Settlement construction and expansion in the heart of the West Bank to include the legalization of outposts creates facts on the ground that undermine a two-state solution.

It has been longstanding US policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations that settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace. The Biden administration maintains this firm opposition to the settlement expansion, and that is where we are with that this time.