The United States on Thursday reiterated its previous stand that continued construction of Jewish settlements by Israel in occupied Palestinian territories are "counterproductive" to the ongoing efforts for reviving the currently stalled Middle East peace process.
Addressing a news conference on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki noted that both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have stated in the past that Washington does not "accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity."
Answering a question about media reports that Israel is planning to retroactively declare legal four formerly unauthorized outposts, Psaki said: "We recognize that continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace and that an independent Palestine must be viable with real borders that have to be drawn."
"We believe it is important for both sides to take action to build the trust and confidence on which a lasting peace must be built," she added.
Notably, the U.S. had slammed Israel last week for giving preliminary approval for the construction of 296 new Jewish settler homes in the Beit El settlement near the West Bank city of Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority.
The new homes in the Beit El settlement are intended to compensate Jewish families evicted from Ulpana, an unauthorized settlement on the outskirts of Beit El, in June 2012, following a high court ruling that the outpost was illegal as it was built on private Palestinian land.
Earlier reports suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered an unofficial freeze on new plans and tenders for building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Israel has settled about 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 Six-Day War. However, its annexation of the captured area is not recognized by the international community, which considers building settlements in the occupied land as illegal.
The latest development comes as the United States has renewed its efforts to revive the stalled Middle East peace process aimed at ending the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
The previous U.S.-initiated negotiations had ended in deadlock over Israel's refusal to extend a construction freeze that expired on September 26, 2010. Palestinians have since been insisting that they will return to direct peace talks only if Israel stops settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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