Chutzpah.

A weak U.S. president emboldens our ... foreign allies:

By Joel Greenberg
JERUSALEM — Israel on Monday announced approval for construction of 277 homes in a large Jewish settlement deep in the West Bank, the third announcement this month of building on occupied land.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the construction in the settlement town of Ariel, a ministry statement said, adding that 100 of the housing units were for people evacuated from the former Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim. Israeli withdrew its settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

The Defense Ministry gave no explanation for the timing of the latest building announcement, and a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had no further comment.
...
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters the approval was “deeply troubling.”

“These kinds of actions are counterproductive to the resumption of direct negotiations. We have raised this issue with the Israeli government. We will continue to make our position known,” Nuland said.

The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank said in a statement that the latest Israeli building plans showed “Israel’s contempt for a negotiated two-state solution” and were part of an effort to “preempt the outcome of any bilateral negotiation.”

Eh, I'm sure it's an inconsequential move that will only affect Israeli internal politics. Nothing to see here, move it along, eh?

Israeli-Palestinian talks were re-launched last September but broke off in a dispute over continued Israeli settlement building. The Palestinians assert that they cannot negotiate while settlements expand on land they want for a future state. Netanyahu has urged an immediate resumption of negotiations to discuss outstanding issues, including the future of the settlements.

With no immediate prospect for the resumption of talks, Palestinian officials say they are moving ahead with plans to seek admission to the United Nations in September as a member state. Israel and the United States have opposed the move, urging the resolution of all issues in dispute through negotiations.