US urges Israel to stop settlement plans in Gaza

The United States said it regretted Israel's reported plans to build new settlement homes, calling it inconsistent with its international commitments to the peace process. Continued settlement activity is inconsistent with Israel's commitment under the Roadmap, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said during a briefing, referring to the blueprint for a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As the president has said before, the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement expansion and we urge that it stop, Gibbs said.