Israel approves 19 new settlements in occupied West Bank
Israel’s security cabinet has approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government continues its settlement expansion.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the settlers who proposed this move along with Defense Minister Israel Katz, said that the decision was about preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
Saudi Arabia condemned the move. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Israel’s “relentless” expansion of settlements was increasing tensions, restricting Palestinian access to land and threatening the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has increased since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, further raising fears that settlement expansion could entrench Israeli occupation and undermine the two-state solution.
The two-state solution means the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, generally similar to the lines before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The current Israeli government has significantly increased approval of new settlements since taking office in 2022, and has begun the process of legalizing unauthorized outposts by recognizing them as “neighborhoods” of existing settlements.
The latest decision brings the total number of settlements approved in the past three years to 69, according to Smotrich.
The approvals come just days after the United Nations said settlement expansion had reached its highest level since 2017.
The latest approvals include the re-establishment of two settlements (Ganim and Kadim) that were disbanded nearly 20 years ago.
In May, Israel approves 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank; This is the largest expansion in decades.
The Israeli government also approved in August plans to build more than 3,000 homes as part of the so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, which had been frozen for decades due to fierce international opposition.
Smotrich said at the time that the plan would “eliminate the idea of a Palestinian state.”
About 700,000 settlers live in about 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is the land where Palestinians seek an independent state in the future.
Settlement expansion has angered Arab nations, who have repeatedly said it undermines hopes for a two-state solution.
It also raised concerns about possible annexation of the occupied West Bank.
US President Donald Trump warned Israel about such a move to TIME magazine and said that if this happened, Israel would lose all the support it received from the USA.
In September, the United Kingdom, along with other countries such as Australia and Canada, recognized the state of Palestine; This was a significant, if symbolic, change in government policy.
Israel opposed the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying there “will not be” a Palestinian state.
