MOSCOW, Nov 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia is deeply concerned about Israel's plan to build new settlements in East Jerusalem and hopes the Israeli authorities will review the plan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

    "Such actions, which create new realities on the spot, are unacceptable for the Middle East peace process," foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said in a statement.

    The decision was inadmissible at this extremely sensitive and crucial moment, when all efforts were focused on restoring Palestinian-Israeli dialogue, Nesterenko said, adding that it went against the collective opinion of the international community.

    "This decision is not a final one and should be coordinated. We therefore hope that the Israeli government will carefully weigh the situation and reconsider the plan," he said.

    The Jerusalem municipal planning committee on Tuesday announced a plan to build 900 new housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, where 40,000 Israelis reside.

    The United States has voiced its objection, saying it was "dismayed" over Israel's approval to expand Jewish settlement construction in Jerusalem. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also strongly denounced the plan.

    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.

    Israeli's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that his government will not halt construction in Jerusalem, while the Palestinians insist the long-stalled peace talks will not be resumed until the Israeli government totally freezes settlement construction.