Washington: After Israeli lawmakers approved a bill allowing for the development of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, the US government expressed grave concerns, stating that the move would make it easier for Palestinian land to be stolen.

Vedant Patel, the chief deputy spokesman for the State Department, stated that Washington is "extremely troubled" by the law, which undoes portions of a 2005 law that ordered Israeli settlers to leave Gaza and some West Bank settlements.

He said in a press conference on Tuesday that "At least one of the [former] outposts in this area... was built on private Palestinian land, which is illegal under Israeli law," adding that "The US strongly urges Israel to refrain from allowing the return of settlers to the area covered by the legislation."

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The addition of new settlements would be "an obstacle to peace" in the region, according to Patel, who called the legal change "particularly provocative" and "counterproductive." He also claimed that the decision is in "clear contradiction" with Israel's repeated promises to deescalate hostilities with the Palestinians.

The 2005 disengagement law prohibited settlements in just four West Bank communities: Homesh, Ganim, Kadim, and Sa-Nur, but it required all settlers to leave Gaza. Even though thousands of illegal Israeli outposts are still being maintained throughout the territory by hundreds of thousands of Israelis, the new measure only applies to those areas. However, before settlers are allowed to return to the designated areas, an IDF military order must be approved.

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Hard right and religious parties strongly supported the partial repeal, which the Knesset earlier on Tuesday approved 31–18. It is "all the more concerning that such a significant piece of legislation passed with just 31 'yes' votes out of an assembly of 120 members," Patel said, appearing to cast doubt on the voting procedure.

According to a spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, the bill "violates the resolutions of international legitimacy" and a 2016 UN Security Council resolution that found settlements to have "no legal validity."

The spokesperson also called on Washington to exert pressure on its ally and "force it to stop all unilateral measures that violate international law and all signed agreements." Israel "insists on defying international law and works to sabotage international efforts exerted to deescalate the situation and reduce tension," the spokesperson said.

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In a meeting with Israel's representative earlier on Tuesday, State Department representatives "conveyed US concern" regarding the law. Although a department readout did not refer to the meeting as a formal summons, a US official quoted by the Times of Israel claimed that "this was effectively the reason for the sit-down." The nation's embassy in Washington declined to respond to questions about the conversation.