The US has criticised Israel for its plans to build hundreds of new homes in Palestinian territory.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the US state department, called the move the "latest...in a systemative process of land seizures". The building will extend existing settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
According to Associated Press, the plans announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday include 560 new homes in Maale Adumim, just outside Jerusalem plus almost 200 inside the city. There is also a proposal to build 600 new homes in an Arab district of East Jerusalem.
Kirby said: "If 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."
The US condemnation of the plans comes after criticism from both the UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the Middle East Quartet on the peace process.
"This raises legitimate questions about Israel's long-term intentions, which are compounded by continuing statements of some Israeli ministers calling for the annexation of the West Bank," Mr Ban's spokesman said in a statement.
The Quartet is a four-way group of nations and international entities consisting of the UN, the US, the EU and Russia. It was established in Madrid in 2002 and has recently criticised the Israel for building settlements on Palestinian land, for denying Palestinian development and for seizing land for Israeli use only.
