The administration of US President Joe Biden is developing a plan of action in response to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the territories of the West Bank of the Jordan River. This was announced on Wednesday, February 15, by the portal Axios.
It is noted that during the week, representatives of the United States and Israel held numerous conversations and negotiations, many of which were extremely difficult. According to the publication, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Neides and National Security Council Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk spoke out against the current policy of Jerusalem and stressed that this position is shared by the administration of President Joe Biden.
A senior Israeli official said that Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, in a conversation with US officials, emphasized that the decision to legalize Israeli outposts in the Palestinian territories is part of a coalition agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies, he said, pushed for the approval of 14,000 housing units and the legalization of 20 outposts.
At the same time, the official White House declined to comment extensively on the current situation.
On February 14, representatives of the Foreign Ministries of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, as well as the head of the US State Department, Anthony Blinken, condemned the actions of the Israeli government regarding the construction of new houses in the territories of Palestine.
On January 31, Anthony Blinken spoke out against the expansion of Israeli settlements, as well as the demolition of Palestinian homes. The day before, he arrived on a visit to Israel and Palestine and held meetings with the leaders of both states. Blinken urged the parties to ease tensions after a series of terrorist attacks and raids in late January and early February that killed both Palestinians and Israelis.
