JERUSALEM, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The United States has urged Israel not to stray from the road map to peace by building new apartments in the West Bank, a report said Friday.
The road map calls for a freeze on all settlement activity, including construction for natural growth, as part of the first stage of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement.
But an Israeli ministry official said tenders had been issued for 153 new apartments in a settlement near Nablus and 180 others near Jerusalem.
"We have made our policy clear, which is that, under the road map, Israel has made a commitment to stop settlement activity. Sticking to that commitment is important," said U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli.
But a senior Israeli official said that as far as Jerusalem is concerned, the internationally brokered peace plan did not refer to a freeze on settlement growth, Haaretz reported.
"The Housing Ministry builds all over Israel, including the West Bank," said ministry spokesman Kobi Bleich. "This tender is in line with a decision taken by the government of Israel."
