Obama criticizes Israeli West Bank settlement construction in newspaper interview

Barack Obama has criticized Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.

In an interview, published Friday, with the daily Jerusalem Post newspaper, Obama is quoted as saying that "aggressive settlement construction would seem to violate the spirit at least, if not the letter" of previous agreements.

Obama tells the paper that if Israel wants to keep land in the West Bank for security reasons, it should "consider whether getting that buffer is worth the antagonism of the other party."

He says to achieve, "there's going to have to be some give" on both sides.

Palestinians say Israel's ongoing construction in the West Bank undermines chances of peace. On Thursday, an Israeli planning committee approved a new settlement, drawing international criticism. (****)