News - Middle East: The Israeli cabinet has approved the "legalization" of five settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, and further sanctions on the Palestinian Authority for supporting cases against the regime in international courts.

"The Security Cabinet authorized one outpost for every country that unilaterally recognized Palestine as a state in the last month," Israel’s extremist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said late Thursday night.

Last month, Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized the Palestinian state, joining over 140 UN member states that have recognized its statehood over the past four decades.

Slovenia and Malta have also indicated they plan to formally recognize the state of Palestine.

The five settlement outposts are Evyatar, Givat Assaf, Sde Efraim, Heletz, and Adorayim.

The extremist minister said that sanctions against the Palestinian authority came after "weeks of discussion" and were an "appropriate response" to the Palestinian Authority’s activity against the regime at the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the United Nations.

The sanctions include the cancellation of exit visas for PA officials.

Source: Press TV