Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his pledge that no more Israeli settlements will be dismantled at a controversial ceremony celebrating 50 years since Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli settlements are considered illegal by the international community, along with Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights after the Six Day War in 1967.

The government spent 10 million shekels (£2.1 million) to hold the commemoration ceremony in the large settlement bloc of Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem.

But it was boycotted by opposition political parties, who argued that celebrating settlements in the West Bank is not a matter of Israeli national consensus and state resources should not be spent on the event.

It not attended by representatives of Israel’s Supreme Court either after its president, Miriam Naor, deemed it too political.

"Settlement is important to you my friends,” Mr Netanyahu told cheering crowds.

“It is no less important to me and therefore, I tell you clearly and before anything: there will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel.

“Not Arabs and not Jews.”

Mr Netanyahu’s remarks were in contrast to the desire of Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman for a population swap between Arab citizens of Israel and Jews living in settlements.

Gush Etzion is now a sizeable population centre, and officials expect it will be part of Israel under a future peace deal with the Palestinian Authority.

Earlier on Wednesday the Israeli Prime Minister told a meeting of settlement leaders not to act like "pigs" in demanding bolstered constructions, Haaretz reported.

He also reportedly said it would be unwise to upset US President Donald Trump as his administration prepares to revive peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.