Israel’s plan to build hundreds of new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has drawn a sharp rebuke from Washington. In a press briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the plans “would be the latest step in what seems to be a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions, and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.” He added: “We oppose steps like these, which we believe are counterproductive to the cause of peace.” The remarks come after U.N.