By Griff Witte
JERUSALEM, July 24 -- Israeli officials on Thursday revived plans to construct a new settlement in the occupied West Bank, two years after U.S. pressure forced Israel to shelve the idea.
Although only about 20 homes are slated to be built at a site known as Maskiyot, in the Jordan Valley, the plan is significant because it would appear to defy an Israeli promise made at the Annapolis peace conference last November not to establish any new settlements.
The State Department issued a statement noting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's frequent observation that "settlement expansion is not helpful."
Referring to a 2003 peace initiative, the statement said that settlement expansion "is inconsistent with Israel's commitments under the Road Map and does not contribute to an environment supportive of negotiations."
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