A White House official on Monday reiterated US President Donald Trump's opposition to Israel's annexation of the West Bank.
"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is consistent with this administration's goal of achieving peace in the region," the official said, foreign media reported, according to the Telegraph.
This comes after Israel's security cabinet approved on Sunday a series of measures designed to deepen Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion in Palestinian territory.
The measures, announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, include lifting decades-old regulations that prohibit Jewish citizens from buying land in the West Bank, according to a joint statement from the two ministers at the time.
The reforms also provide for the transfer of authority over building permits for settlements in parts of Palestinian cities, including Hebron, from Palestinian Authority municipal bodies in Israel.
The Israeli decision was rejected by several countries.
On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey said they condemned "in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at establishing illegal Israeli sovereignty, strengthening settlement activity and implementing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank."Telegrafi/
