Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Saudi Arabia has strongly denounced the Israeli government’s approval for more settlement building in the West Bank.

In a statement on Tuesday (Jan. 12), the Saudi Foreign Ministry said, “We strongly condemn Israel's decision to approve the establishment of 800 new settlement units in the West Bank.”

“We reiterate our categorical rejection of this step as a new violation of decisions of international legitimacy, a threat to peace and it undermines the efforts for a two-state solution,” the statement said.

Israel on Monday (Jan. 11) advanced plans to build 800 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced the move, saying it would include 100 homes in a settlement where an Israeli woman was killed last month in an attack allegedly carried out by a Palestinian assailant.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.

Nearly 500,000 Israelis live in settlements scattered across the West Bank. The Palestinians view settlements as a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace, a position with wide international support.

The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry condemned the latest announcement, accusing Israel of ‘racing against time’ to build settlements before President Donald Trump leaves office.

Reporting by Indonesia Window