The White House announced, Thursday, that the United States is "deeply disturbed" by the Israeli cabinet's decision to expand settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
He indicated that US President Joe Biden is "ready to take a more stringent approach" in dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters that such behavior "creates facts on the ground that undermine the two-state solution" between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinians, adding that Washington "strongly opposes these unilateral measures that exacerbate tensions."
And last Sunday, the Israeli cabinet decided to legalize 9 outposts in the West Bank, according to its description.
At the time, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who is described as one of the most extremist Israeli ministers, commented - on Twitter - "I am pleased that the Ministerial Council approved my request to approve the conversion of 9 outposts into settlements, but this is not enough and we want more."
In the context, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that there are 77 "illegal" outposts in the West Bank, and that approval was issued for 9 of them at Ben Gvir's request.
It is noteworthy that Netanyahu pledged last December to expand settlements in the West Bank after he regained power, heading a government considered the most right-wing of the Israeli governments.
Israel had called on its allies in the United States to put pressure on the American administration to ensure that Washington would use its veto power in the UN Security Council against a draft resolution that the Palestinian Authority seeks to present to condemn Tel Aviv's recent settlement decisions.
Outposts are sites established by settlers on private Palestinian land without the approval of the Israeli government.
There are about 725,000 settlers in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to data from the Settlement Affairs Authority of the Palestine Liberation Organization.