Israel announces plans to build 1,400 homes

Israel has announced plans to build 1400 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territory the Palestinians claim for their future state.

The new homes are planned in Ramat Shlomo, an enclave in east Jerusalem, and in various West Bank settlements.

Israel's housing ministry said 800 new houses will be built in the West Bank and 600 in east Jerusalem.

A spokesman for the Palestinian government on Friday condemned the announcement, calling it a message that the Israeli government is not really responding to the
international efforts for a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed the
announcement during US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit.
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