US has criticized Israel for authorizing the building of over 900 new settlement units in East al-Quds

The US administration stated Tuesday it is “deeply concerned” by Tel Aviv's decision to approve the construction of 930 settler units in the Har Homa neighborhood of East al-Quds, Haaretz reported.

Such "unilateral actions work against efforts to resume direct negotiations,” the US Department of State said in a damning statement.

Last week, an Israeli commission authorized the building of 930 new housing units in the East al-Quds neighborhood of Har Homa, which is located exactly next to the Palestinian town of Bethlehem (Beit Lahm).

The US criticism of Israeli settlement expansion comes a few days after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denounced Israel's move to build more settler units in the occupied Palestine.

"The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law,” Ashton said in a statement.

She added that "continued settlement undermines trust between the parties and efforts to resume negotiations.”