JERUSALEM: Israel鈥檚 hard-line finance minister said on Thursday that the government would promote West Bank settlements and punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority in response to Palestinian moves against Israel on the international stage.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads a pro-settler party, said in a statement that the government supported his proposal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 office, which usually announces cabinet-level decisions, did not issue any statements and was not reachable for immediate comment.

Among the steps Smotrich said he was advancing was the revoking of 鈥渧arious approvals and benefits鈥� for senior officials in the Palestinian Authority, approving new settlement buildings, and retroactively sanctioning some Jewish settlements.