Israel announces major expansion of illegal West Bank settlements
Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the decision on Thursday, with Katz saying that it 'strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria,' using an Israeli term for the occupied West Bank.
He added it was also 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel'.
Smotrich, himself a settler on illegally occupied Palestinian-owned land and an advocate for Israeli annexation of the West Bank, hailed the 'historic decision'.
In a statement, the Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the move as a 'once-in-a-generation decision', emphasising its strategic value in fortifying Israel's hold along the eastern border with Jordan.
Israel has already built more than 100 illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small outposts to larger communities with modern infrastructure.
The West Bank is home to more than three million Palestinians, who live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority governing in limited areas.
The Palestinians see the territory as an integral part of a future state, along with occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza.
Palestinian officials and rights groups slammed the Israeli government's decision, warning that the expansion of illegal settlements would further harm the prospects for a future Palestinian state.
Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the decision, calling it a 'dangerous escalation' and a 'challenge to international legitimacy'.
He accused Israel of fuelling instability in the region and warned the move breaches international law. 'This decision violates all international resolutions, especially UN Security Council Resolution 2334,' he said, adding that all settlement activity remains illegal and illegitimate.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned called on the United States and the European Union to take action.
'The announcement of the building of 22 new settlements in the West Bank is part of the war led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people,' Abu Zuhri told the news agency Reuters.
The Israeli NGO Peace Now said the move 'will dramatically reshape the West Bank and further entrench the occupation'.
'The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the occupied territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal,' it said in a statement.
'This is the largest batch of illegal Israeli settlements to be approved in one decision,' reported Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim from the occupied West Bank.
'Israeli settlements are strangling Palestinian communities inside the West Bank,' said Ibrahim. 'These new settlements fill the gaps, making a future Palestinian state almost impossible on the ground. Israel is using this moment – while global attention is fixed on Gaza – to cement its occupation.'
The settlement announcement comes just weeks ahead of a high-level international conference, jointly led by France and Saudi Arabia at the United Nations, aiming to revive the long-dormant process to agree a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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