By Tugcenur Akgun

NEW YORK (AA)  The US is “deeply troubled” by the Israeli government’s announcement of plans to approve over 4,000 new illegal settlement units in the West Bank, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Sunday.

“The US is deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s announcement of plans to advance over 4,000 new settlement units in the West Bank & the changes to its planning system that may expedite approvals. Settlement expansion is an obstacle to peace,” Miller said on Twitter.

He added that the US opposes such unilateral actions that make a two-state solution more difficult to achieve.

He called on the Israeli government to fulfill the commitments it made in Aqaba, Jordan and Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to return to dialogue aimed at de-escalation.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Israel will also start to advance judicial reform starting this week.

Israel has been in political turmoil in recent months over planned judicial reform by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the opposition views as a power grab in favor of executive authority.

Netanyahu, however, insists that his plan would enhance democracy and restore the balance among the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.

In March, Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, bowed to pressure and announced a temporary halt to the plans amid protests across the country.

The United Nations considers Israeli settlement activity illegal and says it undermines the internationally-agreed two-state solution.

Estimates indicate that about 700,000 settlers are living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the occupied West Bank.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar

[Photo: Palestinian children inspecting their demolished home – demolished by Israeli forces in Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine, on 8 June. Photographer: Issam Rimawi/AA]