Israel approves largest West Bank settlement expansion in decades
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The news: Israel has approved 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, the biggest expansion of settlements since the signing of the Oslo Accords more than 30 years ago, according to Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental organization that tracks settlements.
The decision, reportedly made by the security cabinet including Defence Minister Israel Katz and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, legalises 12 unauthorised outposts, including in areas deep inside the territory and in places previously vacated, according to a joint statement from Katz and Smotrich.
It also establishes nine entirely new settlements and converts one neighbourhood into a settlement, according to Peace Now, which said the move shows the government’s goal of “de facto annexation.”
The context: Settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
The move comes after several Western countries, including Britain, France and Canada, threatened sanctions on Israel if it continued with its military offensive in Gaza.
What they said: "We have made a historic decision for the development of settlements: 22 new communities in Judea and Samaria, renewing settlement in the north of Samaria, and reinforcing the eastern axis of the State of Israel," Smotrich said in a post on X, using the biblical term for the West Bank employed by the Israeli government.
"Next step: sovereignty!" he added, saying: "We have not taken a foreign land, but the heritage of our ancestors."
Katz said the move prevents “the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel”.
Palestinian officials condemned the decision as a “dangerous escalation” and Britain’s Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, criticised Israel’s move, describing it as an intentional barrier to the creation of a Palestinian state.
“The Israeli government’s approval of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank is a deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood,” he posted. “The UK condemns these actions. Settlements are illegal under international law, further imperil the two state solution, and do not protect Israel.”
The sources: The Times of Israel, Deutsche Welle, CNN
