The United States has condemned Israel’s approval of a settlement on a Unesco World Heritage Site near Bethlehem, pointing to its harm to prospects for a Palestinian state, AFP reports.

“Every single one of these new settlements would impede Palestinian economic development and freedom of movement and undermine the feasibility of a two-state solution,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

“We find that to be inconsistent with international law, and we certainly oppose the advancement of settlements in the West Bank,” he said.