Israel approves 22 new settlements at occupied West Bank

Israeli ministers have announced the approval of 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, making it the largest expansion in decades.

Several of the sites already exist as unauthorised outposts, built without official government approval, but will now be legalised under Israeli law. Others are entirely new, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Settlements – widely regarded as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this, remain one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Katz said the decision “prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.” The Palestinian presidency, however, described it as a “dangerous escalation.”

Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, called the move “the most extensive of its kind” in more than 30 years, warning that it would “dramatically reshape the West Bank and entrench the occupation even further.”

Since capturing the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has established around 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Israelis. Palestinians seek the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza as part of a future independent state. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank.

While successive Israeli governments have permitted settlement growth, expansion has accelerated significantly since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, heading a right-wing, pro-settler coalition. The current Gaza conflict, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, has further intensified developments.

On Thursday, Katz and Smotrich – a far-right leader and settler who holds authority over West Bank planning – officially confirmed the move, which is believed to have been approved by the government two weeks ago.

A joint statement said they had authorised 22 new settlements, the “renewal of settlement in northern Samaria [northern West Bank], and reinforcement of the eastern axis of the State of Israel.”

Although the precise locations were not disclosed, maps circulating online suggest the settlements will be distributed across the West Bank.

Katz and Smotrich highlighted what they described as a “historic return” to Homesh and Sa-Nur, two former settlements deep in the northern West Bank that were evacuated in 2005 when Israel withdrew from Gaza.

Two years ago, settlers established a Jewish religious school and unauthorised outpost at Homesh. According to Peace Now, this will be among 12 outposts to be legalised under Israeli law.

Nine of the settlements will be entirely new, the watchdog said. These include Mount Ebal, just south of Homesh near Nablus, and Beit Horon North, west of Ramallah, where construction is already under way.

The last, Nofei Prat, is currently classified as a “neighbourhood” of the settlement Kfar Adumim near East Jerusalem, but will now be recognised as an independent settlement.

Katz called the decision a “strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel, and serves as a buffer against our enemies.”

“This is a Zionist, security, and national response – and a clear decision on the country’s future,” he said.

Smotrich called it a “once-in-a-generation decision” and declared: “Next step: sovereignty!”

A spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose administration governs parts of the West Bank not under full Israeli control, called the decision a “dangerous escalation” and accused Israel of perpetuating a “cycle of violence and instability.”

“This extremist Israeli government is trying by all means to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Reuters.

Peace Now director Lior Amihai said: “The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the occupied territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal.”

Elisha Ben Kimon, a journalist with Israeli news outlet Ynet who covers settlements and the West Bank, told the BBC’s Newshour programme that 70 to 80 per cent of ministers support the formal annexation of the West Bank.

“I think that Israel is a few steps from declaring this area as Israeli territory,” he said. “They believe this moment will not return – they see this as an opportunity they cannot miss.”

Israel effectively annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move not recognised by the vast majority of the international community.