Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israel’s security cabinet has approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that significantly accelerates settlement expansion and deepens tensions over the future of the Palestinian territories. The decision, approved on Sunday, raises the total number of settlements authorized over the past three years to 69, according to Israeli officials.
In a statement released by the office of Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, the cabinet endorsed a joint proposal submitted by Smotrich and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz to formally recognize the new settlements in what Israel refers to as Judea and Samaria. No specific timeline for implementation was announced.
Smotrich framed the decision as a strategic measure aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. “On the ground, we are thwarting the creation of a terrorist Palestinian state,” his office said in the statement. “We will continue to develop, build, and settle the land of our ancestors, out of faith in the justice of our path.”
According to the statement, the newly approved settlements are located in areas described as “highly strategic.” Two of them, Ganim and Kadim in the northern West Bank, are slated for reconstruction after having been dismantled approximately two decades ago. Five of the 19 settlements had already existed as outposts but had not previously received legal status under Israeli law.
While Israel distinguishes between authorized settlements and unauthorized outposts under its own legal framework, all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are considered illegal under international law. Many outposts initially deemed illegal even by Israeli authorities are later retroactively legalized, a process that has fueled concerns among Palestinians and international observers about de facto annexation.
The latest approvals come just days after the United Nations reported that Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank has reached its highest level since at least 2017, the year the UN began systematically tracking settlement data. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly condemned what he described as the “continuous” expansion of settlements.
Earlier this month, Guterres warned that settlement growth is “fueling tensions, obstructing Palestinians’ access to their land, and undermining the viability of an independent, democratic, contiguous, and fully sovereign Palestinian state.” A UN report noted that between 2017 and 2022, an average of 12,815 housing units were added annually, representing a sharp increase compared to previous years.
“These developments further entrench Israel’s unlawful occupation, violate international law, and erode the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination,” Guterres said.
The surge in settlement activity coincides with renewed international momentum behind Palestinian statehood following the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Several European countries, along with Canada and Australia, have recently moved to formally recognize the State of Palestine, a step that has drawn strong criticism from Israel.
At the same time, violence in the West Bank has intensified since the start of the Gaza war, which erupted after an attack by Hamas. According to figures compiled by Agence France-Presse based on data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 1,027 Palestinians including both civilians and militants, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the conflict began.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, report that at least 44 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank during the same period in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. While settlement expansion has long been a point of contention in Israeli-Palestinian relations, critics argue that the current pace and political backing of settlement growth represent a serious challenge to any future negotiated solution.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently warned Israel against formally annexing the West Bank, stating in a Time magazine interview that such a move would result in the loss of U.S. support. Despite such warnings, the latest cabinet decision signals that settlement expansion remains a central pillar of the current Israeli government’s policy in the occupied territories.
