Overview
- On Tuesday, Israel finalised an 8.5 billion-shekel framework to fund settlement construction and infrastructure that officials say will include about 12,000 new housing units.
- The security cabinet approved a separate 1.3 billion-shekel budget to establish 34 new settlements, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said an additional 1.075 billion shekels will pay for access roads.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich, Israel Land Authority head Yehuda Eliyahu and Shomron council leader Yossi Dagan attended the signing and publicly backed the plan.
- The United Nations and most countries consider settlements in occupied Palestinian territory illegal, and Israeli watchdogs such as Peace Now warned the moves will deepen diplomatic isolation and alter West Bank demographics.
- Right-wing leaders present the push as a political and security measure ahead of elections, and analysts warn construction could start this summer, raise settler–Palestinian violence, and prompt international responses to watch for.