Israel’s security cabinet has approved the creation of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, officials said on Sunday. The move, pushed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, is intended to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
According to Smotrich’s office, this brings the total number of settlements approved in the past three years to 69. Two of the newly approved settlements, Ganim and Kadim in the northern West Bank, will be re-established after being dismantled two decades ago. Five others had existed but were not previously legal under Israeli law.
The approvals come shortly after a United Nations report highlighted that Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank has reached its highest level since 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the growth, saying it “fuels tensions, restricts Palestinian access to their land, and undermines the possibility of a sovereign Palestinian state.”
Smotrich, a settler himself, said in a statement: “On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state. We will continue to develop, build, and settle the land of our ancestral heritage.” His comments reflect Israel’s long-standing policy of settlement expansion, which is considered illegal under international law.
Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, violence in the West Bank has surged. Palestinian health authorities report at least 1,027 Palestinians killed, while Israeli data show at least 44 Israelis have died in attacks or military operations.
The West Bank remains home to over 500,000 Israeli settlers and about three million Palestinians, excluding East Jerusalem. US leaders, including former President Donald Trump, have warned Israel against annexation of the territory, citing potential diplomatic consequences.
In other news read more about: https://newsguru.pk/world/gaza-civil-defence-reports-five-killed-in-shelling/
The new settlements are located in areas Israel describes as “highly strategic.” Critics argue that continued expansion further entrenches occupation and reduces prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
