WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Tuesday was annoyed by Israel's plan to build 900 new housing units in East Jerusalem, saying the expansion "make it more difficult" for U.S. efforts to push the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

    Early on Tuesday, the Jerusalem municipal planning committee approved the "Gilo's western slopes" construction plan, under which 900 housing units will be built in the form of 4-5 bedroom apartments, in an effort to lure more Israelis to reside.

    "We find the Jerusalem planning committee decision to move forward the approval process for the expansion of Gilo in Jerusalem as dismaying," said U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly.

    "We object to this and we object to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolition of Palestinian homes," said the spokesman.

    Gilo, with a population of 40,000, is included within Jerusalem municipal boundaries by the Israeli government. Israel claims that Gilo is one of Jerusalem's neighborhoods, while the United Nations and the Palestinians say that Gilo is an Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.

    "Our position on Jerusalem is clear. We believe that Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the two parties," said Kelly.

    The status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem has not been internationally recognized, and the Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.