Binyamin Netanyahu's office: Israel stands for "essential interests" JERUSALEM, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Israel vowed to keep building settlements in a contentious West Bank area despite mounting international alarm it is killing peace prospects with Palestinians. "Israel will continue to stand for its essential interests, even in the face of international pressure, and there will be no change in the decision it has taken," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement. Hours after the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly last week to upgrade the U.N. status of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip to the same rank as the Roman Catholic Church's Vatican City headquarters, Israel announced plans for 3,000 new housing units in contested areas east of Jerusalem and around the West Bank. Israel captured the territories recognized by the General Assembly in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. "There should be no surprise that Israel will not stand idly by in the face of unilateral Palestinian steps," an unidentified official in Netanyahu's office told British newspaper The Guardian. If they continue taking unilateral steps, Israel will act accordingly. The official warned Jerusalem might take "additional steps" despite mounting international alarm. Britain, France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their countries Monday to protest Israel's plans for increased settlement construction. France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark voted for the Palestinian U.N. upgrade, while Britain abstained. The British Foreign Office said it conveyed "the depth of the U.K.'s concern" about Israel's decision to build housing along a 4-mile stretch between Jerusalem and the large settlement city of Maale Adumim, the site of the biblical Good Samaritan parable in the Book of Luke. It said London deplored the settlement plans as threatening "the viability of a two-state solution" and called on Jerusalem to reverse the decision. A two-state solution refers to the envisioned establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The French Foreign Ministry said in French, "Settlement activity is illegal under international law, hurts the confidence necessary for a reviving dialogue and constitutes an obstacle to a just peace based on a two-state solution." French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti issued a joint statement saying they were "deeply worried" by Israel's settlement plans. The two men, meeting in Lyon, France, called the Israeli decisions "serious and illegal" and a "serious obstacle" to Mideast peace. Senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath praised the European leaders for taking action. For this to come from France and England is very beneficial to us. We highly appreciate it and we are hoping the U.S. will follow their lead. Washington didn't summon the Israeli ambassador, but the State Department and the White House harshly criticized Israel over the planned construction with near-identical language. "The United States opposes all unilateral actions, including West Bank settlement activity and housing construction in East Jerusalem, as they complicate efforts to resume direct, bilateral negotiations, and risk prejudging the outcome of those negotiations," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "This includes building in the E-1 area as this area is particularly sensitive and construction there would be especially damaging to efforts to achieve a two-state solution," he said. "We have made clear to the Israeli government that such action is contrary to U.S. policy," Toner said. The United States and the international community expect all parties to play a constructive role in efforts to achieve peace. ‪We urge the parties to cease unilateral actions and take concrete steps to return to direct negotiations so all the issues can be discussed and the goal of two states living side by side in peace and security can be realized. White House spokesman Jay Carney's remarks were virtually identical, but his last sentence pointed to Israel rather than "the parties." "We urge Israeli leaders to reconsider these unilateral decisions and exercise restraint as these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations to achieve a two-state solution," he said. Netanyahu has repeatedly said he is willing to resume talks with the Palestinians, though many diplomats have expressed skepticism about the value of such statements when Israel continues to expand its settlements across the pre-1967 line. The Palestinians say settlement construction must cease before talks can begin following more than two years of stalemate.