Far-right Israeli minister says ‘no’ to West Bank settlement freeze

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s far-right finance minister said on Sunday he would not agree to any freeze in settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli officials committed during a summit in Jordan to hold off on such construction in the coming months.

“I have no idea what they spoke about or not in Jordan,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also has responsibilities over Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

“But one thing I do know: there will not be a freeze on the building and development in settlements, not even for one day (it is under my authority),” he wrote on Twitter.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Jan Harvey)