European Union and the United States have condemned Israel’s settlements plans as being counterproductive to negotiations on peace talks with the Palestinians

The Israeli occupation has approved the construction of 1,100 new housing units in illegally occupied east Jerusalem at a time European Union and the United States have condemned this action as being counterproductive to negotiations on peace talks with the Palestinians.

They responded to the Israeli interior ministry's announcement on Tuesday that it had approved plans for the new housing units in Gilo, a settler enclave in southeast Jerusalem raising already heightened tensions fuelled by last week's Palestinian move to seek full UN membership.

The ministry said construction could begin after a mandatory 60-day period for public comment, a process that is largely a formality, with peace talks stalled for the past three years.

The chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat swiftly condemned the Israeli decision, saying it amounted to "1,100 no's to the resumption of peace talks". He urged the United States, Israel's closest and most important ally, to change its position and support the Palestinians in their quest for UN membership.

Palestinians last week asked the UN to recognize an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post published Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he would not freeze settlement construction again. He said that a 10-month moratorium on new construction last year failed to yield results. He said he saw no need for another freeze. Netanyahu says negotiations should begin without any preconditions.