Israel approves largest West Bank settlement plan in three decades
Israel approves largest West Bank settlement plan in three decades
The Palestinian Authority calls the move a "dangerous escalation"
The Palestinian Authority calls the move a "dangerous escalation"
Israeli houses in the illegal Psagot settlement next to the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh, Occupied West Bank on Thursday, May 29, 2025. [ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images]
Israeli houses in the illegal Psagot settlement next to the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh, Occupied West Bank on Thursday, May 29, 2025. [ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images]
A new 22 Jewish settlement plan in the Occupied West Bank, part of the Palestinian Territories, was approved on Thursday by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz. It is the largest settlement expansion in the West Bank in over 30 years, according to Israeli settlement tracker Peace Now.
The move comes as Israel faces potential sanctions by its closest allies including France, Canada and the United Kingdom as the fear of famine looms in the Gaza Strip.
On X, Smotrich wrote “Settlement in the land of our ancestors is the protective wall of the State of Israel – today we have taken a huge step to strengthen it. The next step - sovereignty!”
A Controversial figure who has spewed anti-Palestinian rhetoric, Smotrich has long called for full Israeli annexation of the West Bank and Gaza for years.
According to Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, most of the settlements will be constructed in the northern part of the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as four settlements along the Jordanian border.
Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since capturing it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six Day War against Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
The Jordan Foreign Ministry condemned the settlement expansion in a statement, calling it a "deliberate disregard for ongoing international calls to halt settlement activity and violations in the occupied Palestinian territories."
Over 700,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and are considered illegal under International Law.
Although Palestinians have had limited authority in the territory since the 1993 Oslo Accords via the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority (PA), Israel controls a significant majority of the territory with checkpoints and harsh military measures.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, PA spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the expansion a "dangerous escalation," blaming Israel for the near constant "cycle of violence and instability."
A new 22 Jewish settlement plan in the Occupied West Bank, part of the Palestinian Territories, was approved on Thursday by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz. It is the largest settlement expansion in the West Bank in over 30 years, according to Israeli settlement tracker Peace Now.
The move comes as Israel faces potential sanctions by its closest allies including France, Canada and the United Kingdom as the fear of famine looms in the Gaza Strip.
On X, Smotrich wrote “Settlement in the land of our ancestors is the protective wall of the State of Israel – today we have taken a huge step to strengthen it. The next step - sovereignty!”
A Controversial figure who has spewed anti-Palestinian rhetoric, Smotrich has long called for full Israeli annexation of the West Bank and Gaza for years.
According to Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, most of the settlements will be constructed in the northern part of the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as four settlements along the Jordanian border.
Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since capturing it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six Day War against Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
The Jordan Foreign Ministry condemned the settlement expansion in a statement, calling it a "deliberate disregard for ongoing international calls to halt settlement activity and violations in the occupied Palestinian territories."
Over 700,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and are considered illegal under International Law.
Although Palestinians have had limited authority in the territory since the 1993 Oslo Accords via the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority (PA), Israel controls a significant majority of the territory with checkpoints and harsh military measures.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, PA spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the expansion a "dangerous escalation," blaming Israel for the near constant "cycle of violence and instability."
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