New figures show Israel has rapidly expanded settlement construction in the occupied West Bank since lifting a partial freeze last month. According to the Israeli group Peace Now, ground has been broken on over 600 new homes — four times the pace of the previous two years. Speaking in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US remains opposed to settlement expansion.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “It’s no secret that we are in a difficult period. When President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu came to Washington last month to relaunch direct negotiations, we knew there would be setbacks and struggles. Our position on settlements is well known and has not changed.”