The Quartet on the Middle East (the United Nations, the US, the EU and Russia) have issued a statement denouncing the Israeli settlement plan, but Palestinian groups are disappointed that it contains no enforcement provisions.
Israel's announcement of 1,600 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem is being condemned by the "Quartet" of negotiating bodies as a barrier to Middle East peace. According to Al Jazeera,
"In the statement, the Quartet condemned 'the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem'.
The Quartet meeting comes amid rising tensions between Israel and the US over Israel's plans to build 1,600 new settler homes, a move announced during a visit to the country by Joe Biden, the US vice-president. Settlement building in the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem is illegal under international law and has been one of the main stumbling blocks to talks between Israel and the Palestinians."
FULL STORY: Quartet calls for settlement freeze
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