Israel approves 19 more settlements in West Bank

Amid the ongoing ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Israel has approved the construction of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, the other part of the proposed Palestinian state. The country’s hard-right politician and current Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed this information. In an interview with the BBC, Smotrich said that he submitted a proposal to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on this matter, which was approved yesterday. According to him, the Israeli government has taken this decision to create obstacles to the establishment of the proposed independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
It should be noted that Smotrich himself is an occupying settler living in the West Bank. He is one of the Israeli settlers living in the West Bank. Saudi Arabia has strongly criticized Israel’s decision. In addition, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the decision in a statement, saying that the continued expansion of Israeli occupation activities in the West Bank is increasing tensions in the Middle East and at the same time seriously threatening the future of the proposed Palestinian state.
Israel has long occupied Palestinian territory by building settlements in the West Bank, ignoring international law. This activity has increased significantly in the past three years under the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since the formation of the government led by Likud Party leader Netanyahu in late 2022, the number of Jewish settlements or residential structures in the West Bank has increased from 128 to 178. This means that the rate of settlement construction in the West Bank has increased by about 40 percent during Netanyahu’s term.
However, this number is before the 19 newly approved settlements. If the recent decision is implemented, the number of Israeli settlements in the West Bank will reach 69 in the past three years. Smotrich told the BBC that Netanyahu’s government is moving to “completely bury” the possibility of a Palestinian state. According to Peace Now, an Israeli organization that opposes settlements on Palestinian territory, there are currently 160 illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These settlements are home to about 700,000 Israelis.