Paris -
France joined the
United States Wednesday in strongly condemning Israel's decision to construct 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem. "This decision is totally inopportune at a time when peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are resuming," a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said during a press conference.
"It is also illegal with regard to international law."
Israel's Interior Ministry announced late Tuesday that the Jerusalem Planning and District Committee had approved the
construction of 1,600 new homes in a neighbourhood in northern Jerusalem, near the Palestinian village of Shuafat.
Tuesday's decision "does not contribute" to the establishment of a climate of trust "without which negotiators will not achieve their objective," that of the creation of a viable Plaestinian state, the spokesman said.
The words echoed a statement issued earlier by the
White House on behalf of US Vice President Joe Biden.
"The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now," the White House statement read.
