The European Union (EU) on Tuesday lashed out at Israel's plan to build 2,500 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the move would seriously undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution.

"It is regrettable that Israel is proceeding with this policy, despite the continuous serious international concern and objections, which have been constantly raised at all levels," a spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service, said in a statement.

Slamming Israel's "continued settlement expansion," including earlier approval of building permits for 566 settlement units in East Jerusalem, the spokesperson stressed that a negotiated two-state solution was the only way to "fulfil the legitimate aspirations of both parties and to achieve enduring peace."

Israel's prime minister and defense minister agreed on Tuesday to approve the construction of 2,500 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to a statement of the defense ministry.

Most of the houses will be built in settlement blocs, the ministry said, adding that the new construction would be approved to "answer the housing needs and the continuation of the daily life."

Israel seized East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War, along with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It later annexed East Jerusalem and declared it as part of its "eternal" capital, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

source: Xinhua