US ‘deeply troubled' by Israel’s plan to expand West Bank settlements

Government hands power to firebrand Smotrich with aim to build more than 4,000 new units

The US is “deeply troubled” by the Israeli government’s approval of legislation to speed up the construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The measure was approved by the government on Sunday as US Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf, who is in charge of Middle East affairs, was to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders during a week-long visit to the region.

“The US is deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s announcement of plans to advance over 4,000 new settlement units in the West Bank and the changes to its planning system that may expedite approvals,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

“Settlement expansion is an obstacle to peace.”

The US called on the government of Israel to fulfil the commitments it made in Aqaba, Jordan, and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and return to talks aimed at de-escalation, the State Department said.

Israel's government on Sunday granted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a pro-settlement firebrand, authority over planning in the occupied West Bank and lifted red tape on the approval process.

The changes make it easier for Israel to expand its settlements on land Palestinians seek as the heartland of their future state, at a time when hopes for peace are more distant than ever.

Mr Smotrich's control over planning was a condition he had made to join the government.

Authority over planning in the territory, which is under a 56-year military occupation, is traditionally the purview of the country's defence minister. Mr Smotrich is also a minister within the Defence Ministry.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the decision and called on the international community to pressure Israel “to stop its illegal unilateral measures”.

Hamas said overnight on Sunday that the Israeli government’s endorsement of granting Mr Smotrich wide powers to ratify settlement construction decisions “revealed the true face of this fascist government”.

At the beginning of March, Mr Smotrich drew intense international criticism after he called for the northern West Bank town of Huwara to be “wiped out”.

“This government seeks to annex more occupied Palestinian lands, increase the number of Jewish settlers and displace our Palestinian people from their lands,” said Maher Salah, a member of the Hamas political bureau.