REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PARIS - France, an active mediator in Israeli-Palestinian disputes, condemned on Wednesday Israel's settlement expansion plan in East Jerusalem and urged resumption of peace talks.
"France condemns the Israeli authorities' decision to start planning more than a thousand new settler homes in East Jerusalem, " said foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal, reiterating Tel Aviv new settlement plan is illegal under the international laws.
Nadal noted that Israel moves to build more houses represented a provocation at an "already high tensions in Jerusalem," and would hamper efforts to resume peace negotiations aimed at ending the deadlock in the Middle East.
"It is more than ever urgent to make serious progress on the peace process," the French official said.
Earlier this week, Israel announced a new plan to build 1,000 new settler homes in East Jerusalem which Palestinians said it was the main obstacle to create the independent state they seek in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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