US says Israel should not expand Jewish settlements
8/9/2006 14:32
The United States said yesterday that Israel should not expand Jewish
settlements in the West Bank.
"The policy is the same. There should not be
expansion of the settlements and outposts should be removed," State Department
spokesman Sean McCormack said at a briefing.
However, McCormack said the
United States will raise the issue with Israel in private.
"This is an issue
that we do talk to the Israeli government about. Often times those discussions
are done quietly and they are done privately -- and you may not hear about them
-- but we do talk about the issue," he said.
According to media reports,
Israel plans to build 690 new homes in two Jewish settlements in the West Bank
despite an obligation under the US-backed Middle East "roadmap" peace plan to
halt such construction.
xinhua
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