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[Global Network Report] According to AFP and other media reports on the 16th, Israel announced that it would build a new Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, including an area listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. In response, the US State Department condemned it on the 15th local time.

U.S. State Department logo, data map, source: foreign media

Agence France-Presse reported that US State Department Chief Deputy Spokesperson Patel said at a press conference on the 15th local time that "every new settlement will hinder Palestinian economic development and freedom of movement, and undermine the feasibility of the 'two-state solution'". "We believe that this is not in line with international law, and we certainly oppose the advancement of settlement construction in the West Bank," he added.

According to a Xinhua News Agency report citing Israeli media, Israel's "civil administration" in the West Bank announced on the 14th that it would build a new Jewish settlement of about 60 hectares south of Jerusalem. Before the construction of a new settlement, planning and construction permits must be obtained, a process that usually takes several years. The planned area of ​​the new settlement has a long history of agricultural terraces, which has been listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The Israeli non-governmental organization "Peace Now" issued a statement saying that the new settlement is another move by Israel to "de facto annex" the West Bank.