The Washington Post reported on Friday that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expanded Israel's footprint in the West Bank and increased settlement activity at a new pace. Earlier, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel had approved the construction of a new settlement in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Battir, near Bethlehem. In contrast, the United States condemned Israel's approval of the settlement, pointing out the damage it could cause to the prospects of a Palestinian state. The newspaper reported that the Israeli government approved strategic land confiscations, nearly 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) this year alone, the construction of major settlements, the escalation of the demolition of Palestinian property and increased state support for illegally built outposts, all of which together constituted 'the most significant territorial changes in the West Bank in decades.' Source: Maan News Agency