Overview

• The security cabinet approved creation of 22 settlements, including nine entirely new communities, legalization of 12 outposts and the elevation of one settlement neighborhood to full status.
• Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued the expansion reinforces Israel’s hold on Judea and Samaria and affirms historical claims.
• Britain, Jordan and United Nations spokespeople condemned the decision as illegal under international law and warned it undermines prospects for a two-state solution.
• The watchdog group Peace Now described it as the largest settlement authorization since the 1993 Oslo accords, warning of accelerated de facto annexation.
• Israeli strikes in Gaza have meanwhile killed dozens of Palestinians, heightening humanitarian concerns during the ongoing conflict with Hamas.