JERUSALEM -- Israel gave preliminary approval yesterday to a plan to build 600 new homes in a settlement deep inside the West Bank, a move that drew rebukes from the United Nations and Palestinians and threatened to raise tensions with the United States as the prime minister prepares to head to the White House.

Israeli officials tried to play down Wednesday's decision, saying construction was years away, at best.

But the timing of the move may further hinder already troubled Mideast peace efforts. It casts a shadow over a trip by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington in March, in which he is expected to discuss Iran's nuclear program and other regional issues.

The UN's Mideast envoy, Robert Serry, called the Israeli announcement "deplorable" and said it "moves us further away from the goal of a two-state solution."

State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters, declined to comment about the announcement, but said the U.S. policy on settlement activity is clear.

"We don't believe it's in any way constructive to getting both sides back to the negotiating table," he said. "And we want to see clearly a comprehensive settlement that delineates borders and resolves many of these issues."

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled for three years over the issue of Jewish settlements.

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The Palestinians, who claim the West Bank and east Jerusalem for a future state, say there is no point negotiating while Israel continues to expand its settlements. Israel, which captured the areas in the 1967 Mideast war, says negotiations should begin without preconditions. The international community opposes all settlements.

A dialogue launched last month in Jordan failed to make any breakthroughs. On Tuesday, Jordan blamed Israel for the impasse, citing Israel's "unilateral policies." Israeli defense officials played down yesterday's decision, saying it was made by a low-level planning committee under the control of the Defense Ministry.

One official said the project was in the "embryonic" phase and would require "multiple stages of authorizations," including approval by top leaders, that would take years to complete.