The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Monday strongly slammed Israel's recent decision to build a new settlement in northern West Bank.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said the decision to build a new settlement in the Jordan Valley was "a clear message proving the Israeli government's persistence in going ahead with its colonization policies."

Israeli Army Radio reported earlier in the day that the defense ministry approved the building of 20 houses in Maskiot settlement, which is the first new settlement to be built in northern West Bank in 26 years.

Abu Rdeneh said the new decision, which was made on the eve of US President Barack Obama's first talk with Israeli right-wing Premier Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, is seen as "a challenge to the US, administration, and a clear denial of a two-state solution as well as the peace process."

He urged the US administration to pile pressure on Netanyahu to stop the colonization policies which are meant to undermine the peace process.

There are more than 280,000 Israeli settlers currently living in the occupied West Bank and some 200,000 living in settlements in annexed east Jerusalem, according to the Peace Now statistics.