US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed dismay over Israeli plans to advance a controversial East Jerusalem housing project, sources have said.
He "strongly emphasized" Washington's objection to Israeli settlement advancement, they said.
In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday, Blinken expressed the Biden administration’s vehement opposition to the 9,000-home plan in Atarot, the sources said.
The State Department later issued a read-out of the conversation.
It said Blinken “strongly emphasized that Israel and the Palestinian Authority should refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution, including advancing settlement activity.”
