On Monday, the British Foreign Office spokesperson said that his country is seriously concerned over Israel's approval for new settler homes to be built in the West Bank, warning the move could threaten future peace negotiations and calling for construction to stop.
In a statement, he added, "Settlements are illegal under international law and risk undermining the physical viability of the two-state solution. We call for the construction of these in East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West Bank to cease immediately."
The new settlements construction activities announced by Israel on Sunday include 100 homes in Tal Menashe, a settlement where an Israeli woman was killed last month in an attack for which a Palestinian man has been charged.
According to Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement monitoring group, Israel approved or advanced construction of more than 12,000 settlement homes last year.
This is the highest number of new settlements in a single year since 2012, Peace Now says.
The anti-settlement monitoring group added that more than 90% of the homes lay deep inside the West Bank, which the Palestinians seek as the heartland of a future independent state.
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