Israel has almost tripled its settlement construction activities in the occupied West Bank since 2007, according to a report.

The report by Peace Now rights group said that at least 2,600 new Israeli settlements are currently being built in the West Bank which shows an increase of 80 percent since last year.

The report coincided with the US secretary of state's visit to Palestine that aims at reviving peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.

Reacting to the report, Condoleezza Rice condemned Israel's violation of Annapolis agreements and warned that the move undermines peace process in the Middle East.

"The settlement activity is not conducive to creating an environment for negotiations," Rice said at a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah as she met Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials played down Rice's criticism by seeing the construction issue irrelevant to peace talks.

"The peace process is not, and should not be, affected by any kind of settlement activities," Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni argued on Tuesday.

During a US-sponsored meeting in Annapolis last year Israeli officials pledged to halt all settlement activities in al-Quds and West Bank in a bid to revive peace talks. However, Israelis have so far ignored their pledges and have continued to construct new Jewish settlements on the Palestinian lands.

MMS/PA