Overview
- Israel’s security cabinet approved 19 West Bank settlements, including establishing 11 new communities and formalizing 8 outposts proposed by ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Israel Katz.
- Germany, the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and others issued a joint statement urging reversal, saying the move breaches international law and could imperil a fragile Gaza ceasefire and regional stability.
- Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the criticism as discriminatory, asserting the plans address security needs on state land, while Smotrich hailed the decision as a step to prevent a Palestinian state.
- The approvals raise the three‑year tally of authorized settlements to 69, as a UN report recorded 47,390 housing units advanced in 2025, the highest since tracking began in 2017.
- UN officials and most governments consider West Bank settlements illegal and a barrier to a two‑state solution; the area hosts about three million Palestinians and more than 700,000 Israeli settlers.