Israel's new settlement expansion plan undermines two-state solution: U.S.

The U.S. government on Friday criticized Israel's plan to expand a Jewish settlement on the West Bank, saying it undermines the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Continued settlement activity and expansion raises honest question about Israel's long term intentions and will only making achieving a two-state solution that much more difficult," State Department's spokesman John Kirby told a daily news briefing.

The spokesman said the U.S. was "deeply concerned" about Israel's approval on Wednesday of expanding the existing boundary of the Gush Etzion settlement, nearby Jerusalem. It will effectively create a 10-acre settlement on the West Bank.

Kirby said such actions "clearly undermine the possibility of a two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Though being a strong ally of Israel, Washington has long opposed Israel's plans to expand settlement, fearing they will trigger more violent clashes between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The U.S. long standing position on Israeli settlement activity, which is clear and has not changed, is that it is " illegitimate and counter-productive to the cause of peace," Kirby said.

The Israeli move came amid a rising wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians since mid-September, in which frequent stabbing, shooting, and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians have killed 23 Israelis and a U.S. citizen.

In the meantime, Israeli security forces and armed civilians have killed at least 139 Palestinians, mostly when in attacks or attempted assaults.

Israel has been accusing the Palestinian authority of "inciting" the recent violence, while the Palestinians say it is a result of 49 years of Israeli control of their lands. Endit