The US State Department slammed Israel on Thursday for legalizing three illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank, Israeli media reported.

A State Department spokesperson told The Times of Israel in response to a question on Smotrich’s announcement:

“Our views have been clear and consistent: The expansion of settlements or outposts undermines the geographic viability of a two-state solution, exacerbates tensions, and further harms trust between Israelis and Palestinians.

“We strongly oppose the advancement of settlements and the retroactive legalization of settlements that were previously illegal under Israeli law and urge Israel to refrain from this activity,”  the spokesperson reportedly added.

The outposts to be legalized are the Avigail settlement, the Asael settlements the Beit Hola settlement.

600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.