Elise Labott
CNN State Department Producer

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted Israel Monday for evicting dozens of Palestinians from homes in East Jerusalem, calling the move a violation of Israel's obligations.

"I think these actions are deeply regrettable, Clinton told reporters following a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. "The eviction of families and demolition of homes in East Jerusalem is not in keeping with Israeli obligations. And I urge the government of Israel and municipal officials to refrain from such provocative actions."

The U.S. protested the evictions Sunday to the Israeli embassy in Washington, which are complicating U.S. efforts to jumpstart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The U.S. believes the move is not keeping with Israel's obligations over the U.S.-backed roadmap for peace, which calls for an end to all settlement activity.

"Both sides have responsibilities to refrain from provocative actions that can block the path toward a comprehensive peace agreement," Clinton said. "Unilateral actions taken by either party cannot be used to prejudge the outcome of negotiations. And they will not be recognized as changing the status quo."

An Israeli government spokesman rejected international criticism Monday in defending the evictions of the Palestinians from their homes, where some of them had lived for generations.

"I think a lot of the criticism is simply not fair," Mark Regev told CNNI.

He described the dispute as a legal one between two private parties over who had title to a property in East Jerusalem. "As you know, the Israeli court system is independent and professional," he said. "Many times it goes on the Palestinian side if they think that's where the justice is and, in this case, they ruled in favor of the Jewish side."

But Jordan's Foreign Minister Judeh condemned the evictions, saying they present an obstacle to peace and urged Israel to reverse course.

"East Jerusalem is occupied territory. It is part of the territory that was occupied militarily in 1965 - in 1967, and it is very, very important that people bear in mind that this is part and parcel of the discussions that will take place when negotiations are re-launched," he told reporters.

Drawing on her legal training, Clinton suggested Israel could be taking the move to strengthen its hand before negotiations with the Palestinians begin.

"I was a lawyer in a prior life. Very often, people try to stake out even more strong and difficult positions going into negotiations. We understand all of that, and we intend to continue on the path that we are on," she said.

Tensions have erupted between Israel and the United States over President Obama's insistence that Israel halt all settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. President Obama's Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell is trying to negotiate an agreement with Israel over a settlement freeze which could allow some existing construction to continue.

Mitchell is also trying to get Arab states to make some gestures to Israel to create a climate for peace, which could include opening trade offices in Israel and allowing tourist visas for Israelis.

Foreign Minister Judeh said while such a climate was important, it was time for Israel to reciprocate to the 2003 Arab peace initiative which offered it relations with all Arab nations in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state and ending the occupation of all Arab land, including Lebanon and Syria.

"In the Middle East, there has been in the past an overinvestment,perhaps, by the parties in pursuing confidence-building measures,conflict-management techniques, including transitional arrangements, and an overemphasis on gestures, perhaps at the expense of reaching the actual end game," Judeh said.

Quoting Jordan's King Abdullah, he said, "There has been too much process and too little peace, a situation that most certainly is no longer sustainable."