'Extremely concerned' by Israeli legislation in the US

The US government has voiced major concerns after Israeli lawmakers passed a bill allowing for the construction of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that the measure would facilitate the theft of Palestinian land. The State Department's principal deputy spokesman, Vedant Patel, said Washington is "extremely troubled" by the law, which rescinds parts of a 2005 bill that ordered Israeli settlers to vacate Gaza and some areas of the West Bank. Patel argued that the creation of new settlements would pose "an obstacle to peace" in the region, also arguing the decision marks a "clear contradiction" of Israel's repeated vows to deescalate hostilities with the Palestinians. The Knesset approved the partial repeal earlier on Tuesday in a 31-18 vote, with hard right and religious parties strongly backing the proposal. A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the bill is a "violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy," as well as a 2016 UN Security Council resolution which found that settlements have "no legal validity." He urged Washington to put pressure on its ally and force it to stop all unilateral measures that violate international law and all signed agreements.