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STORY: The White House resumed criticism of the Israeli"/>

White House says Israeli settlement plan "troubling"

2014-10-06 24

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STORY: The White House resumed criticism of the Israeli decision to build more settlements.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said it would send a "troubling message."

Palestinians want a state encompassing the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but has continued expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace talks foundered in April over Israeli objections to a Palestinian political unity pact including the Islamist Hamas movement.