Israel Approves 19 West Bank Settlements in Rapid Expansion Drive

Overview

• Israel’s cabinet authorized 19 additional settlements, a step Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich framed as blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.
• The package formalizes several long‑standing outposts and restores the dismantled sites of Ganim and Kadim in the northern West Bank.
• The decision brings approvals to 69 over three years, with watchdog Peace Now counting a rise from 141 settlements in 2022 to 210 after this latest move.
• A recent UN report condemned the acceleration as threatening a viable Palestinian state and cited an increase in settler attacks, sometimes in the presence or with the support of Israeli security forces.
• Since October 7, 2023, reports cite more than 1,000 Palestinians and at least 44 Israelis killed in the West Bank, while France decried the new projects and the U.S. president warned against annexation.