Israel Will Seize Huge Swaths of Palestinian Land

"No anti-Israel or anti-Zionist decision will stop the development of the settlement.

We will continue to fight against the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state. This is the mission of my life," said Smotrich.

Most United Nations member states consider settlements built in the West Bank and other territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal under international law.

Israel disputes this, citing the Jewish people's historical and biblical ties to the land.

Israel announced in June it was going to legalise five outposts in the West Bank, establish three new settlements, and seize huge swathes of land where Palestinians seek to create an independent state, further inflaming Palestinian anger.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited authority over the West Bank under Israeli military occupation, reiterated that settlement construction and the demolition of Palestinian homes constituted ethnic cleansing, an allegation Israel has denied.