Overview
- Israeli media reported the cabinet quietly approved 34 settlements in one decision and kept it classified before details were cleared for publication.
- Reports point to sites in the far north of the West Bank, including remote areas the army rarely reaches, with some locations lacking any previous settlements.
- Israel’s military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, attended the meeting and voiced manpower concerns as the army faces troop shortages and has shifted units to the West Bank to contain settler violence.
- The move builds on rapid expansion since 2022, with 68 settlements already approved and nearly 200 unauthorized outposts erected, even as most countries consider all West Bank settlements illegal.
- Humanitarian groups and the UN cite worsening harm to Palestinians, including more than 36,000 displaced over a year and a sharp rise in settler attacks, while the government also backed a new directive to curb extremist settler violence.