Israel says countries condemning new settlements are discriminating against Jews Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar on Thursday condemned the international backlash against the approval of new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the criticism was “discriminatory against Jews”. “The cabinet decision to establish 11 new settlements and to formalise eight additional settlements is intended, among other things, to help address the security threats Israel is facing,” he said. Fourteen countries, including France, Britain, and Germany, condemned on Wednesday Israel's recent approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank. "We, States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank," said a joint statement released by the French foreign ministry. On Sunday, Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.