Israeli additional settlement activity does not advance prospect for peace: U.S.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli additional settlement activity does not help peace with the Palestinians, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said here on Tuesday.

"We have been very clear about this, that additional settlement activity, unrestrained settlement activity, does not advance the prospect for peace," Heather Nauert said at a press briefing when asked to comment on such activity.

Israeli parliament recently adopted a new law allowing an extended application of the education law on academic institutions based in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

On Monday, Palestinian Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned that that any Israeli expansion of settlement would only result in more tension and instability, and destroy every international effort to save the peace process.

On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he was discussing with the U.S. administration an initiative to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank. But the claim was denied by the White House.

Peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis have been stalled since 2014 and look more impossible than ever after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration last year recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and decided to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. Enditem