REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON - The White House on Monday rejected counter-criticism by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a new settlement project in East Jerusalem.

The hawkish Israeli leader, in response to Washington's sharp critique of Israel's plan to build some 2,610 new homes for Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem, said the denunciation "is against the American values."

"It's against the American values, and it doesn't bode well for peace," Netanyahu told the CBS's "Face the Nation" program on Sunday.

"It did seem odd for him to try to defend the actions of his government by saying our response did not reflect American values, " White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily news briefing.

"The fact is American policy has been clear and unchanged under several administrations, both Democrat and Republican," he said. " We oppose any unilateral actions that attempt to prejudge final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem. These can only be legitimately determined through direct negotiations between the parties that this president has worked hard to try to facilitate."

Israel's new construction plan surfaced on Oct. 1 when US President Barack Obama was meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, and the president voiced "deep concern" about it.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, with east Jerusalem as its capital. Israel's continued settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem is a constant source of friction with Washington and was partly blamed for the collapse of US-brokered peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians in April.

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