Israel approves new settlements in the West Bank
Published 2025-12-21 22.33
Israel has approved the establishment of 19 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the approval “blocks” the possibility of forming a Palestinian state.
The decision was made by the Israeli security cabinet and means that a total of 69 settlements have been approved in recent years, according to a statement from Smotrich’s office, without mentioning when the cabinet meeting was held.
The announcement came just days after the UN announced that the expansion of the settlements – all illegal under international law – has reached its highest level since at least 2017, when data of this type began to be collected.
Right-wing extremist Smotrich is an outspoken supporter of this expansion and is himself a settler.
Smotrich: Blockerar palestinsk stat
“We are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state on the ground,” the finance minister said in a statement. He described the new settlements as being in “strategically critical” areas.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently condemned what he described as Israel’s “unrelenting” expansion of settlements in occupied territory.
This “continues to fuel tensions, prevents Palestinians from accessing their land and threatens the possibility of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian state,” Guterres said.
Sharp increase in violence
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War, where violence has increased sharply in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
Israeli forces and settlers have since killed at least 1,027 Palestinians – including both civilians and combatants, according to figures from the Palestinian Authority.
During the same period, at least 44 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank in Palestinian attacks and Israeli military operations, according to statistics from Israel.
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