Haaretz: US Mulls Harsher Action Against Settlement Construction

(MENAFN- QNA) US President Barack Obama's administration is examining taking action against the Israeli settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, rather than making do with issuing denunciatory statements, according to the Israeli daily (Haaretz).

Senior Israeli officials said that White House officials held a classified discussion a few weeks ago about the possibility of taking active measures against the settlements.

A few senior American officials approached by Haaretz did not deny this, but refused to disclose more details. National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan refused to comment.

A discussion on such a sensitive and politically-loaded issue in the White House is extremely irregular and shows to what extent relations between the Obama administration and Benjamin Netanyahu government have deteriorated, Haaretz said.

An Israeli official who was briefed by the Americans on the issue said the administration started discussing it following Netanyahu's last meeting in the White House in early October and the public confrontation over the settlements that occurred later, Haaretz added.