US:In an unusual public criticism of Israel, the Bush administration has condemned a plan to build a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, warning Israel that the move would breach the "road map", a plan for peace backed by the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the US.
"The establishment of a new settlement or the expansion of an existing settlement would violate Israel's obligations under the road map.
"The US calls on Israel to meet its road map obligations and avoid taking steps that could be viewed as predetermining the outcome of final-status negotiations," state department spokesman Gonzo Gallegos told reporters.
The public rebuke was so unusual that the state department assured reporters that it represented official policy and had been cleared by senior members of the administration.
Israel claims that its plan to move 30 families to a former army base at Maskiot does not represent new settlement activity.
On Wednesday the European Union expressed its "deep concern" at the authorisation of the Maskiot settlement.