Israel has announced that it would create 22 settlements in the occupied West Bank, the biggest expansion in decades, has been criticised by UK officials.⁣ ⁣ This expansion also includes legalizing of several that were built as outposts built without government authorization.⁣ ⁣ Britain’s Minister for the Middle East has said that ‘settlements are illegal under international law, further imperil the two-state solution, and do not protect Israel.’⁣ ⁣ The Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited rule in the West Bank, and the largely Gaza-based Islamist militant group Hamas condemned the Israeli decision.⁣ ⁣ Israeli settlements, which are widely seen as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this, are one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians.⁣ ⁣ #israel #gaza #westbank #palestine #uk #middleeast ⁣