Britain condemns Israel settlement move

The British government said it deplored an Israeli decision to appropriate a large swathe of land inside the occupied West Bank, saying the move would seriously damage Israel’s international reputation.

On Sunday, Israel announced the appropriation of land in the Etzion Jewish settlement bloc near Bethlehem, a move which an anti-settlement group said was the biggest such claim in 30 years.

“The UK deplores the Israeli government’s expropriation of 988 acres (1.54 sq miles) of land around the settlement of Etzion,” British foreign secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement which echoed US calls to reverse the decision.