Washington, Rabi'II 11, 1436, Jan 31, 2015, SPA -- The United States on Friday condemned the latest Israeli announcement of tenders awarded to build housing units in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, calling it "counterproductive" to reaching comprehensive peace. "We believe that settlements are illegitimate and are counterproductive to achieving a two-state outcome," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. "We have deep concerns about these highly contentious construction announcements. They will have detrimental effects on the ground, inflame already heightened tensions with the Palestinians, and further isolate Israel internationally," the spokeswoman said. --SPA 14:03 LOCAL TIME 11:03 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w