Particle.news
Download on the App Store
10 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Israel Approves 22 West Bank Settlements in Largest Expansion Since 1993

The plan legalizes outposts to reinforce Israeli authority in territory considered illegally occupied under international law.

Houses are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Psagot in the occupied West Bank, located on Tawil hill adjacent to the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh, on May 29, 2025.
Image
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference about the state budget in Jerusalem, Feb. 28, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israeli soldiers check the identification cards of residents of the now evacuated Palestinian refugee camp of Tulkarem who return to collect belongings before the destruction of their homes as Israeli forces prepared to carry out the demolition of homes across the two refugee camps of the Israeli occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem, Thursday, May 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Overview

  • The government plans to establish 22 settlements, including nine new communities, one existing site and 12 previously unauthorized outposts.
  • Far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Israel Katz characterized the announcement as a strategic effort to bolster Zionist vision and prevent a Palestinian state.
  • The United Nations, British and Jordanian officials and groups like Peace Now condemned the decision as a breach of international law.
  • Analysts warn the expansion deepens Israel’s hold on Area C of the West Bank, further restricting land available for a future Palestinian state.
  • U.N. data show at least 616 Palestinians have been killed by settlers or Israeli security forces in the West Bank since January 2024.