Commission: Israel plans 1,670 new settler homes in West Bank

The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said late Wednesday that Israeli authorities are advancing plans to build 1,670 new housing units in Jewish settlements across the occupied West Bank, defying recent calls by Western governments to halt expansion.

Specific locations and scale

The commission said the plans — which have reached the final approval stage — include 365 new housing units in the Maale Amos settlement southeast of Bethlehem and 200 in Talmon, located northwest of Ramallah. The projects also envision three entirely new settlement areas: Amihai on the Ramallah-Nablus border, Ein Yitav in Jericho and Maoz Tzvi in the Jenin area, comprising 749 housing units across 1,125 dunams (278 acres).

Expansion amid Western pressure

The announcement came shortly after 12 Western countries decided to impose trade restrictions on products from Jewish settlements and called on Israel to halt settlement expansion. The commission noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has approved 104 new Jewish settlements and established 160 agricultural outposts since taking office in late 2022, adding that 259 units are planned for Alei Zahav in Salfit and 95 for Peduel.

Under international law, the West Bank — occupied by Israel since 1967 — is considered part of the territory of a future Palestinian state, and the transfer of an occupying power's population into occupied territory is prohibited. The commission warned that Israel is seeking to establish new and permanent settlement centers across the territory, with two additional units also planned for the Givat Zeev settlement northwest of Jerusalem.