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White House officials said Trump views stability in the Palestinian territories as “the goal of achieving peace in the region.”

U.S. President Donald Trump opposes Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank, White House officials said.

“A stable West Bank ensures Israel’s security and is consistent with this administration’s goal of achieving peace in the region,” the official said on Monday, Reuters reported.

The comments from the White House came amid international outrage after far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezarel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced new measures on Sunday to expand Israel’s control over the occupied Palestinian territories.

The measures also make it easier for Israelis to acquire land for new settlements, which is illegal under international law.

Eight Muslim-majority countries condemned israel’s move A statement issued on Monday said “Israeli’s illegal decisions and measures” were aimed at “imposing Israel’s illegal sovereignty on the Palestinian territories.”

Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates said Israel’s measures were an attempt to “consolidate settlement activity and impose new legal and administrative realities in the occupied West Bank, thus accelerating its attempts to illegally annex and force the displacement of the Palestinian people”.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Britain and Spain also joined the growing chorus of condemnation, with U.N. Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying Israel’s actions were “destabilizing” and damaging prospects for a two-state solution.

Britain called on Israel to reverse its decision.

The UK government said: “The UK strongly condemns yesterday’s decision by the Israeli Security Cabinet to extend Israeli control over the West Bank.”

“Any attempt to unilaterally change the geographical or demographic makeup of Palestine is completely unacceptable and inconsistent with international law. We call on Israel to immediately reverse these decisions,” the statement added.

This is a breaking news story. More on that later.