UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply troubled" by Israel’s decision to grant legal status to three illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that he was "deeply troubled" by Israel's decision to grant legal status to three illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank, describing the activity as illegal under international law.

"The Secretary-General reiterates that all settlement activity is illegal under international law. It runs contrary to Israel's obligations under the Road Map and repeated Quartet calls for the parties to refrain from provocations," Ban's office said in a statement.

The United States also said it was "concerned by the reports" of the Zionist entity's decision. "We don't think this is helpful to the [peace] process, and we don't accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

Israeli officials played down the decision taken by a ministerial committee late on Monday and rejected accusations that the government had effectively created the first new Israeli settlements for more than 20 years.