The Peace Now watchdog has said that Israel has approved three wildcat settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, calling it a new stage in the “annexation” of the territory, AFP reports.

The Israeli agency which organises West Bank construction recognised outposts in Mahane Gadi, Givat Han and Kedem Arava on the edge of existing settlements, Peace Now said. It also approved 5,295 extra homes in dozens of existing settlements.

The latest approvals “underscore the annexation occurring in the West Bank”, Peace Now said.

“Our government continues to change the rules of the game in the occupied West Bank, leading to irreversible harm,” said the leading watchdog of events in the occupied territories.