Israel advances nearly 2,000 new settlement units in West Bank

Israel is moving forward with plans to construct 1,973 additional settlement units in the occupied West Bank, according to an announcement by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The new housing units are scheduled for approval during the upcoming session of Israel's Higher Planning Council, though the specific meeting date remains unspecified. This development follows closely on the authorization of 1,300 settler homes in the Gush Etzion settlement south of occupied East Jerusalem just one day earlier.

Accelerated Settlement Expansion

Smotrich revealed that Israeli authorities have approved nearly 30,000 new settlement units in the West Bank during the current year, characterizing this accelerated construction as an "unprecedented achievement" for the current government. According to Israeli media reports, since Benjamin Netanyahu's government assumed office in late 2022, Israel has advanced plans for approximately 48,000 settlement units in the West Bank, averaging roughly 17,000 units annually. This represents a significant increase in settlement activity compared to previous administrations.

International Condemnation and Palestinian Response

The Palestinian group Hamas immediately condemned the settlement expansion as a "dangerous escalation in the policy of Judaization and settlement expansion targeting Palestinian land deep inside the West Bank." In an official statement, Hamas emphasized that "these settlement plans constitute a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions that criminalize settlement construction." The United Nations has consistently maintained that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories violate international law and undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

Strategic Implications for Peace Process

The settlement expansion includes particularly contentious projects such as the "E1" settlement plan near Ma'ale Adumim, which received final approval on August 20 and involves approximately 3,400 housing units. Israeli rights organization Peace Now has described the E1 plan as delivering a "fatal blow" to the two-state solution because it would effectively separate the northern and southern West Bank while isolating East Jerusalem. Palestinians maintain their insistence on East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel's 1967 occupation or 1980 annexation of the city.