A US State Department spokesperson addressed reports of Israeli officials pushing to legalize Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and calling support for illegal outposts “dangerous and reckless,” Paralel.Az reports citing CNN.

“Our policy, US policy, remains that settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace, and the government of Israel's program is inconsistent with international law,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel at a press briefing.

The US will continue urging Israel “to refrain from taking actions to fund outposts that have long been illegal under Israeli law,” he added. “Actions or announcements seeking to expand outposts will only move the goal of peace and stability in the region further away.”

Separately, the US is also pressing Israel for more information about the mass grave discovered in Khan Younis, Patel said. "The allegations are troubling. They are disturbing. We take them very seriously," he said.