Israel has reportedly approved the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media and the watchdog group Peace Now, which noted that the measure was taken “secretly” in early April, according to Arab News.
New Settlements
In a statement published late on Thursday, Peace Now said: “The security cabinet secretly decided to establish 34 new settlements.”
The approval of 34 additional settlements adds to 68 others that have already been authorized since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government assumed office in 2022.
The approval of 34 additional settlements adds to 68 others that have already been authorized since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government assumed office in 2022.
Ten of the 34 settlements are existing outposts and considered illegal under Israeli law. However, they are now set to be retroactively legalized under the decision.
The remaining 24 settlements have yet to be constructed.
Burying Palestinian State
In August, Smotrich announced that Israel would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state by dividing the West Bank and cut if off from East Jerusalem.
During his visit to Maale Adumim, Smotrich revealed that both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 scheme, a long-delayed settlement.
Increasing Settlement Expansion
A recent report by the United Nations Chief showed that Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank has reached its highest level since at least 2017, when the UN began systematically tracking such activity, according to AFP.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced the “relentless” expansion, describing it as a catalyst for fueling tensions, restricting access by Palestinians to their land and undermining “the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State.”
Israel advanced, approved, or tendered plans for nearly 47,390 housing units in 2015, compared to 26,170 in 2024.
Excluding East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied and later annexed in 1967, the West Bank is home to approximately 500,000 Israeli settlers, alongside around three million Palestinians.
Since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, violence in the West Bank has seen unprecedented levels.
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