Israel approves 19 new West Bank settlements, fueling tensions
Israel approves 19 new West Bank settlements, fueling tensions
Israel approves 19 more West Bank settlements, pushing the expansion to 69 new settlements in recent years and drawing renewed international scrutiny.
Israel has approved a proposal for 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, continuing a government-wide construction push critics say threatens the viability of a Palestinian state. The latest move brings the total number of new settlements approved in recent years to 69, a figure cited by far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich who has pushed a settlement expansion agenda. The latest includes two settlements that were previously evacuated during the 2005 disengagement.
The cabinet decision increases the number of settlements in the West Bank by nearly 50% during the current government’s tenure. In 2022, there were 141 settlements across the West Bank; after the latest approval, there are about 210, according to Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog.
The plan also retroactively legalises some outposts or neighbourhoods of existing settlements and creates settlements on land from which Palestinians had been evacuated. Among those affected are the Kadim and Ganim outposts, two of the four settlements dismantled in 2005 as part of Israel’s Gaza withdrawal. The government’s move comes as Washington pushes Israel and Hamas toward the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire, with a US-brokered plan seeking a possible pathway to a Palestinian state, something the settlements are seen by critics as hindering.
Analysts say the decision compounds the challenge of achieving a two-state solution, while supporters argue it secures strategic and security interests. The fallout will likely shape regional diplomacy and future peace efforts as tensions in the area remain high.
