The United States on Tuesday raised concerns with Israel over its decision to legalize three settler outposts, calling the move “not helpful” to making peace with the Palestinians. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reiterated Washington's opposition to settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and said the United States asked the Israeli government, through its embassy in Tel Aviv, for “clarification.” “We are obviously concerned,” Nuland told reporters. “We don't think this is helpful to the process, and we don't accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity.” “We make this case every time we have an incident like this that is not helpful to the process-it doesn't get us where we need to go,” Nuland said. “We will continue to raise [concerns] as we have.” Nuland's comments came after Israel said it had decided to legalize three settler outposts, a move denounced by the Palestinians. The move was announced as U.S. envoy David Hale was visiting the region in an effort to revive the stalled peace process. Hale met Wednesday in Amman with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who condemned the Israeli move. Hale also held talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, Nuland said.
