Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says international pressure against construction in West Bank settlements cannot be ignored, indicating that building could be curbed.
Netanyahu spoke to party members in the parliament on Monday, after the US vetoed a Palestinian backed resolution in the UN Security Council calling the settlements illegal.
Netanyahu said, "We are trying to maintain existing construction, but we must understand that we are facing a very difficult international reality," suggesting that new projects might not be approved.
Netanyahu said Israel could continue "banging our heads into the wall, but that's not how I do things." The issue of construction in the settlements led to the collapse of Israel-Palestinian peace talks last year.