WEST BANK – Israel has sparked condemnation after the finance minister announced plans to legally recognize five unauthorized Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

As CNN has reported, the Israeli government has been looking to “strengthen” Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank after several countries unilaterally recognized a Palestinian state. The spokesperson for Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, told CNN that the Israeli government had agreed in a late-night cabinet to recognize five Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that were built illegally and that Smotrich will release tax funds to the Palestinian Authority that Israel collects on its behalf.

In a statement to CNN on Sunday, Smotrich’s office said the decision to release funds to the Palestinian Authority was “immediate” and would cover the past three months. Funds have been frozen following the October 7 attacks.  CNN reached out to the Prime Minister’s office, which has not yet publicly commented on the reports. Once authorized, settlements become more like parts of Israel, with access to water, electricity and medical care. The Palestinian Authority, which administers some areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, told CNN on Sunday that it has not yet received the funds from Israel. “So far, no money or official messages from the Israeli side have been received,” an official source in the Palestinian Authority said. (CNN)…[+]