Ramallah, Feb 13 (IANS): Palestinian authorities have rejected and condemned the Israeli cabinet's decision to legalise nine Israeli settlement outposts, which was recently constructed in the West Bank.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian presidency, said: "Today's decision of the Israeli cabinet to legalise nine illegal settlement outposts is a challenge to the Arab and international efforts and a provocation to the Palestinian people," Xinhua reported.

"These unilateral measures are unacceptable under the international resolutions and the signed bilateral agreements and will lead to more tension and escalation," he said in a press statement sent to reporters.

After a six-hour meeting on Sunday evening, the Israeli cabinet overwhelmingly agreed to recognise nine settlement outposts that had been set up recently in the West Bank, reported Israeli media.

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said in a statement that the Israeli cabinet's decisions are just an "open war against the Palestinians."

Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and established dozens of settlements there, which are considered a violation of international law.

The settlement issue is the most prominent aspect of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and one of the main reasons for halting the last direct peace negotiations between the two sides in 2014.