ISTANBUL

Hamas condemned on Friday an Israeli move to legalize new settlement outposts and units in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian resistance group denounced the announcement as "a practical declaration by the fascist occupation government to proceed with extremist (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich's plans to control the West Bank."

Hamas said the new settlement plans "require a unified Palestinian stance to reject and confront them and resist the policies of the extremist Zionist government."

The group urged the UN and the international community to "take practical steps beyond condemnation to work on stopping these measures, which represent a dangerous attempt to liquidate the (Palestinian) cause.

The Israeli Cabinet approved steps Thursday that were proposed by Smotrich at "legalizing" settlement outposts in the West Bank and imposing sanctions on the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli state broadcaster, KAN, reported Friday that the Security Cabinet approved Smotrich's plan to counter Palestinian statehood recognition and actions against Israel in international courts.

The plan includes measures against the Palestinian Authority, the legalization of five settlement outposts in the West Bank and the issuance of tenders for thousands of new housing units in settlements.

Settlement outposts are small communities established by illegal Israeli settlers on privately owned Palestinian land without approval from the Israeli government.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar