RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Tuesday the Israeli government’s approval to construct 19 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

It said the Israeli plan violates UN resolutions and called on the international community to act to end it.

“(The Kingdom) affirms its strong position in supporting the brotherly Palestinian people and continuing its efforts aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant international resolutions,” it said, according to a statement.

Last week, the Israeli Cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, a proposal submitted by the far-right Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Among these settlements are “Ganim” and “Kadim,” two locations near Jenin that were evacuated in 2005 as part of the disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.