JERUSALEM: US vice president Joe Biden has been joined by UN chief Ban Ki-moon in condemning Israel’’s approval of 1,600 new settler homes in east Jerusalem in a move which has infuriated Palestinians.

“The secretary-general condemns the approval of plans for the building of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem by the Israeli Ministry of Interior,” said a UN statement issued late Tuesday.

Ban “reiterates that settlements are illegal under international law,” the statement added.

The Israeli announcement came just two days after the Palestinians grudgingly agreed to indirect talks after months of US shuttle diplomacy and coincided with the trip by Biden, the highest-level Obama administration official to visit Israel.

The news broke as Biden was due to meet top Israeli officials to boost renewed peace efforts Tuesday.

Vice president Biden “showed up 1.5 hours late for dinner tonight at (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’’s) residence,” a White House press office statement said.

“I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in east Jerusalem,” Biden said in a separate statement.

“The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I”ve had here in Israel.”