The foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) criticized on Thursday the Israeli legalization of five new outposts in the West Bank and its intention to expand existing settlements by 5,295 new housing units and establish three new ones.
"We, the G7 Foreign Ministers... join the UN and the European Union in condemning the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister (Bezalel) Smotrich that five outposts are to be legalised in the West Bank Israeli settlements are inconsistent with international law, and counterproductive to the cause of peace," the ministers stressed.
On June 28, Smotrich announced the legalization of the five outposts as minister in charge of civil management of the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967 and is illegal under international law.
