U.S. to take tougher tone on Israeli settlements: report

The United States will take a tougher tone when addressing Israeli settlement building in the West Bank in an upcoming international report, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

{mosads}The report, coauthored by other mediators from the region, will heavily criticize Israel for its construction, demolitions and property seizures in Palestinian territory in the West Bank, the AP said.

The document will reportedly also rebuke Palestinian leaders for the recent surge in violence against Israelis, though the Jewish settlements will be the report’s focus.

The U.S. has traditionally employed soft, diplomatic language in such reports to avoid upsetting the Jewish nation, but has grown impatient with what diplomats see as Israel’s intransigence.

The report is largely symbolic and will not require any action on the part of Israel or Palestinians.