RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Thursday slammed the new Israeli plans to approve the construction of 2,200 settlement units in the occupied West Bank.

"We condemn what was circulated by Israeli media on the occupation authorities’ intention to approve the construction of 2,200 settlement units in the West Bank to expand [the existing] settlements," a ministry statement said.

The statement considered the Israeli new settlement plans as "a flagrant aggression on the Palestinian people" and "a hard blow to the international and US efforts to revive the peace process."

On Wednesday, the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronoth revealed that Israel is set to approve the construction of 2,200 settlement units in the West Bank next week.

The move is the biggest for Naftali Bennett's government since it took power on June 13.

International law regards both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territories and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity there illegal.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate there are about 650,000 settlers living in 164 settlements and 124 outposts in the West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar