UK slams legalization of 5 West Bank outposts, urges reversal of sanctions against PA

The United Kingdom “strongly opposes” the Israeli government’s recent legalization of five settler outposts in the West Bank, according to a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign Office.

The statement also condemns “further punitive measures” taken against the Palestinian Authority, and calls on Israel to halt settlement expansion and hold perpetrators of “extremist settler violence” accountable.

“We are clear that actions by Israel to weaken the Palestinian Authority must stop. We call for longer-term measures to be put in place to ensure continued correspondent banking relations and assurance that Israel will release frozen funds without delay,” the statement says.

Last week, the security cabinet approved legalizing five West Bank outposts and a series of sanctions against the PA.

In return for the measures, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will sign off on moves unfreezing the last three months of tax funds withheld from the PA, a senior Israeli official has told The Times of Israel.

Smotrich said the sanctions were in response to the PA’s actions against Israel at the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the UN, along with the recent decisions by five European countries to recognize a Palestinian state.