The Israeli government has announced it is planning to build 1,400 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The move is likely to impede progress towards negotiations led by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
"This Israeli government is openly displaying its true agenda. The announcement of yet more settlement units at this particular moment is a test for the US administration's ability to hold Israel accountable for actively sabotaging their efforts for peace,” said Saeb Erekat, a leading Palestinian negotiator in the peace process, to The Guardian.
"Such an announcement should also serve as a reminder to the international community to sever all ties with the Israeli occupation."