Biden: New Building Plan 'Undermines Trust'
Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening blasted a newly revealed Israeli plan that seeks to create some 1,600 Jewish housing units in East Jerusalem, the Associated Press reports.
"The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now," he said, just one day after both Israel and the Palestinians agreed to resume U.S.-brokered peace negotiations.
Biden was apparently blindsided by Tuesday's Interior Ministry decision following a day of warm meetings with Israeli officials.
"We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them," he added.
