CAIRO: The Egyptian government on Tuesday condemned a move by the Israeli government to erect 1600 new Jewish housing units in East Jerusalem. The country’s foreign ministry warned that such a move could jeopardize the regional peace-making efforts.

The government here said that Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit will raise the issue with the international community in order to pressure Tel Aviv to end their settlement construction.

Such a project, many have stated, would ruin the credibility of all ongoing regional peace-making efforts, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said.

He accused Tel Aviv of acting in complete disregard of efforts to promote the Palestinian-Israeli political process that ultimately aims at “ending the Israeli occupation and establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”

The Americans have also vocalized their criticism of Israel on Tuesday for the authorization of 600 new housing units in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev, describing the move as “counter-productive.

“We’ve relayed our strong concerns to the government of Israel, that this kind of activity, particularly as we try to re-launch meaningful negotiations is counter-productive and undermines trust between the parties,” said US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.