Israel intends to build 15,000 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem, the Housing Ministry said on Friday despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to “hold back” on settlements as part of a possible new push for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

“I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump told Reuters Thursday. “There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians — none whatsoever.”

US President Donald Trump refused to confirm reports that he would announce the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during a visit to Israel next month, but hinted Thursday that he may clarify the issue at that time.

A handful of conservative Republicans have launched a congressional group dedicated to forcing the Palestinians to admit their “defeat.”

“Israel should respond to the substance of Barghouti’s NYT op-ed rather than hiding their violations of human rights, particularly of 6,500 Palestinian political prisoners, behind the accusation of terrorism,” writes Qaddoura Fares.

“The challenge is to imagine how Palestinian communities can come to have a stake in the knowledge produced about them,” writes Anaheed Al-Hardan.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has presented his vision to end the split between Fatah and Hamas and have the consensus government take control in Gaza, threatening to take “unprecedented” action if Hamas rejects his demands.

A cadre of young Western-trained Palestinians are increasingly filling diplomatic posts around the world.

Israel has notified Hamas about the work it plans to start this summer to block the tunnels in the Gaza Strip, in the hope that Hamas will not use this move in order to reopen a military front.