World Bulletin / News Desk

An Israeli bill that gives immunity to thousands of illegal settlement homes in occupied West Bank has drawn widespread condemnations in the Arab world.

On Monday evening, the Knesset (Israeli parliament) retroactively legalized Jewish-only outposts built on Palestinian land in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.

The Cairo-based Arab League said the settlement bill shows the Israeli government’s hostility to peace.

“[This law] is a cover to steal Palestinian land and property,” Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul-Gheit said in a statement released Tuesday.

“It’s part of Israeli policies that aim to undermine all possibilities for achieving the two-state solution and setting up an independent Palestinian state,” he said.

The Israeli bill was passed amid heightened anxiety in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after a new U.S. administration under President Donald Trump took office last month.

Since Trump was sworn in, Israel has announced three separate settlement plans that allow for thousands more housing units in the West Bank.

Trump has also pledged to move the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would mean effectively recognizing Israeli claims on the city, which Israel occupied in 1967. It would also deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution.