U.S. 'Deeply Disappointed' With Israel.

U.S. 'Deeply Disappointed' With Israel.(Rferl).The U.S. State Department says it's “deeply disappointed” with Israel for continuing to announce construction of thousands of new settlements for Israelis on land Palestinians claim for a future state.
State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland accused Israeli leaders of engaging in “provocative action” that calls into question their commitment to peace.
The U.S. statement came as reports said European nations on the UN Security Council -- France, Britain, Germany, and Portugal – as well as other Security Council member countries are preparing new statements condemning the Israeli building plans.
Since the UN General Assembly voted in November to formally upgrade the Palestinians’ UN status to “nonmember observer state,” Israel has announced plans to build thousands of housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israeli authorities on December 17 gave approval for the construction of 1,500 homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo. The Israelis are also examining construction of upward of 3,000 more housing units in other settlements.
Nuland said, however, that the United States would not support a proposal for a UN Security Council resolution to be issued in response to the new settlements.
She repeated the long-standing U.S. position -- which is similar to Israel’s -- that direct negotiations between the two sides are the only way to achieve an enduring two-state solution.
The U.S. spokeswoman urged the two sides to return to direct talks and refrain from “unilateral” actions such as settlement building or seeking enhanced UN status.
"We again call on Israel and the Palestinians to cease any kinds of counterproductive, unilateral action, and take concrete steps to return to direct negotiations," Nuland said.Hmmmmm.......Perhaps the U.S. should have thought about it before the US ambassador to Georgia told Prime Minister to vote for ‘Palestinian state’?Read the full story here.