Obama says Israel construction plans ‘unhelpful’

JAKARTA - US President Barack Obama Tuesday said newly published Israeli plans to build over 1,300 homes on Palestinian land would not help efforts to reach peace in the Middle East.

“This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations,” he said at a news conference during a visit to Indonesia.

“I’m concerned that we’re not seeing each side make the extra effort to get a breakthrough that could finally create a framework for a secure Israel living side-by-side in peace with a sovereign Palestine,” he said.

But Obama said he would continue to push for the Middle East peace process, which has been the focus of his administration.

“We’re going to keep on working it through because it is in the world’s interests,” he said.

The announcement of the plans to build 1,345 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem has triggered a war of words between Israelis and Palestinians and endangered the fragile process of peace talks.