Brasilia, July 9 (RHC)-- Israel’s plan to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank is “a flagrant violation of international law”, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said in a statement.

Brazil also criticised Israeli claims, from the country’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, that the approved expansion was retaliation against the Palestinian Authority’s role in successfully encouraging several countries to recognise Palestinian statehood.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international laws as they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bans an occupying power from transferring its population to the area it occupies.