East talks despite settlement move 12 August 2013 Last updated at 23:41 The US has urged the Palestinians "not to react adversely" to Israel's approval of 1,200 new settlement homes only days before peace talks resume. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday's move was "to some degree expected," but stressed that Washington considered settlements "illegitimate." This "underscores the importance of getting to the table quickly," he told reporters during a visit to Colombia. Palestinian negotiators have accused Israel of trying to sabotage the talks. An Israeli government spokesman rejected the criticism, saying every peace initiative so far had proposed that the settlements affected become Israeli territory. Hours later, the Israeli authorities published the details of the 26 long-term Palestinian prisoners who will be freed on Tuesday. The construction in Jerusalem and in the settlement blocs in no way changes the final map of peace End Quote Mark Regev Israeli government spokesman The delay allows time for last-minute legal challenges by the families of their victims, who have been protesting against the decision. Security and borders During a visit to Colombia on Monday, Mr Kerry was asked about the implications of the Israel's decision to issue tenders for building 793 housing units in East Jerusalem and 394 elsewhere in the West Bank. He said the announcement was "to some degree expected," but that he did not expect it would derail the negotiations, which resume in Jerusalem on Wednesday two weeks after a preparatory round in Washington. Mr Kerry also stated that the US "views all of the settlements as illegitimate" and had "communicated that policy very clearly to Israel." "I think that what this underscores, actually, is the importance of getting to the table and getting to the table quickly and resolving the questions with respect to settlements, which are best resolved by solving the problems of security and borders," he said. With the negotiation of major issues, these kind of hot-point issues... are eliminated as the kind of flashpoints that they may be viewed today. Mr Kerry added that he had spoken with Israel's chief negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is recovering from hernia surgery. Unhelpful On Sunday, Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) executive committee, told the BBC that Israel was deliberately sending a message to the US that it would press ahead with "stealing more land" regardless of any attempt at launching negotiations. Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said: "If the Israeli government believes that every week they're going to cross a red line by settlement activity, if they go with this behaviour, what they're advertising is the unsustainability of the negotiations." Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the construction "in no way changes the final map of peace." The Palestinians have previously agreed in principle to minor land swaps. In a separate development on Monday, Israeli police said a missile fired towards the Red Sea resort of Eilat had been successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system. Residents had reported hearing a loud explosion and a siren.