Speaking at a London event on Tuesday, Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said recognition of a Palestinian state was only a first step and urged the government to take further measures to support a two-state solution.

She criticized what she described as Britain’s slow response to Israeli plans to expand control in Gaza and called for tougher action against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including restrictions on settlement goods and sanctions on those involved.

Thornberry said the UK had fallen short in upholding international law on Palestine and urged countries that backed Palestinian statehood in 2025 to coordinate economic pressure against settlement expansion.

Her remarks add to growing debate within Britain’s ruling Labour Party over the government’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Peace Now said Israel’s security cabinet approved the move “secretly” in early April, adding that the new settlements come in addition to 68 others authorized since the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu took office in 2022.

The Israeli defense ministry, which oversees settlement activity in the West Bank, declined to comment on the reports.According to Israeli media, including i24News, 10 of the newly approved sites are existing outposts previously considered illegal under Israeli law but now set to be retroactively legalized.

The remaining 24 settlements have yet to be constructed.News outlet Ynet reported that military chief Eyal Zamir warned during a security cabinet meeting on April 1 that increased operational demands, including the protection of additional settlements, could strain military capacity.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and settlements there are widely considered illegal under international law. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the territory, excluding East Jerusalem, alongside approximately three million Palestinians.

Settlement expansion has been a consistent policy across successive Israeli governments, but rights groups say approvals, land seizures and settler-related violence have accelerated since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.