Following the increase in Palestinian terrorism and heavy pressure from groups on the Israeli political right, the Israeli government has accelerated construction in Jewish settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The cabinet approved plans for construction of 560 housing units in Ma’ale Adumim and 240 housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ramot, Gilo, and Har Homa. The construction of about 600 housing units for Palestinians in Givat HaMatos in East Jerusalem was also approved. Earlier, the cabinet approved the transfer of NIS 82 million to Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, and the unfreezing of construction of 42 housing units in Kiryat Arba.

In response, US State Department spokesman John Kirby published a detailed and unusually sharp response on July 5, 2016, saying, “We’re aware of reports that the Government of Israel intends to advance plans for hundreds of housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as East Jerusalem. If it’s true, this report would be the latest step in what seems to be a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions, and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.” Emphasizing that the administration opposed these measures, which ran counter to the peace process, Kirby noted the “deep concern” about the allocation of land on the West Bank for “exclusive Israeli use.”

Kirby also mentioned the Quartet’s announcement published on July 1, 2016, which noted that the Jewish population over the Green Line had more than doubled since the Oslo Accords, and had even tripled in Area C: at least 570,000 Israelis currently reside in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Furthermore, some 100 outposts have been built in Area C without official approval from the Israeli government, “making them illegal even according to Israeli law.” These measures, according to Kirby, “risk entrenching a one-state reality and raise serious questions about Israel’s long-term intentions.” Kirby said that the administration’s approach included engaging in “tough discussions” with Israeli leaders, and considering ways of working with the Quartet and other members of the international community to advance the two-state solution.

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