Israel plans biggest West Bank settlement expansion in decades (VIDEO)
Israel has earmarked broad swathes of the West Bank for scores of new settlements, a move that could isolate Palestinian villages and tighten West Jerusalem’s grip on the territory. RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij has taken a closer look at the expansion plans.
The Israeli government has accelerated its push to annex larger and larger portions of the West Bank in recent years, accompanied by escalating settler violence. The international community and the US, Israel’s biggest ally, has also opposed the bid, with President Donald Trump vowing to “not allow” an annexation.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister and West Bank settler who also holds authority in the Defense Ministry over civilian affairs in the region, is backing the land grab. On Tuesday, he annulled parts of a key 1997 Israeli-Palestinian agreement which gave Hebron Palestinian municipality authority over planning, zoning, and construction in parts of the city.
According to draft plans reported last week, Israel is expected to allocate more than $350 million over several years to establish 61 settlements across the West Bank.
The push is “creating a fear amongst Palestinians that villages will be cut off from each other, they will be entirely isolated and that would give the Israelis more control over this land,” Dubenskij reported.
With demolitions in West Bank villages increasing in recent years, local Palestinians fear further displacement, fragmentation of the local society, and restrictions on movement.
Walls, roads between Israeli settlements, and IDF checkpoints are expected to accompany the push, crushing the nascent dream of establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank.
Watch RT’s full report from the area:
Muslim nations condemn Israel over West Bank land grab
A group of eight Muslim-majority nations has condemned Israel over its latest decision to tighten its grip on the occupied Palestinian territories, accusing it of breaching international law and violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
Israel’s security cabinet has approved a proposal, made by hardline nationalist ministers over the weekend, to designate large areas of the West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the occupation began in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. The move builds on last week’s cabinet decision to make land registries in the area public rather than private, making it easier for Jewish settlers to purchase real estate.
The group of eight Muslim-majority nations – Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – condemned Israel’s action in a joint statement on Tuesday.
They argued that the move constitutes a blatant violation of international law and breaches multiple UN Security Council resolutions, “foremost among them Resolution 2334,” which calls on Israel to halt settlement activities in the West Bank.
“This illegal step constitutes a grave escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, land confiscation, entrenching Israeli control, and applying unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement reads.
The eight nations urged the international community to immediately take “clear and decisive steps” against Israel to halt its illegal activities and protect Palestinian rights. Shortly after the Israeli government announced its decision, the Palestinian presidency strongly condemned the move, stating that it effectively voided multiple signed agreements and openly contradicted UN Security Council rulings.
Hardline Israeli nationalists have welcomed the cabinet decision as a “true revolution” destined to accelerate the settlement process and to restore “order and governance” in the West Bank. “The State of Israel is taking responsibility for its land and is acting according to the law, transparently and decisively,” one of the move’s sponsors, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has said.
The Israeli government has long been seeking to annex the West Bank despite widespread international opposition to the move and the position of its main ally, the United States. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned West Jerusalem against the move, insisting that the annexation “is not going to happen.”
Israel approves major land grab in West Bank
The Israeli security cabinet has approved a proposal to register large areas in the West Bank as “state property” for the first time since occupation began in 1967 following the Six-Day War.
The new decision builds on a move by the cabinet last weekend, when it made it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land in the West Bank and repealed a law dating back to times of Jordanian control over the area to make land registries public rather than private.
The proposal was tabled by hardline nationalist officials, Deputy PM and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The sponsors hailed its adoption as a major breakthrough and a “true revolution” to accelerate the settlement process.
“The renewal of the land regulation in Judea and Samaria is a vital security and governance move aimed at ensuring Israel’s control, enforcement, and full operational freedom in the area,” Katz said in a statement, referring to the West Bank by its Israeli toponyms.
The move is aimed at “restoring order and governance” in the West Bank, Smotrich added, hailing the decision as one of the most significant steps to tighten Israel’s control over the region taken since the Six-Day War. “The State of Israel is taking responsibility for its land and is acting according to the law, transparently and decisively,” the minister asserted.
Last weekend’s decision by the Israeli cabinet garnered widespread international condemnation, with multiple countries urging West Jerusalem to repeal it immediately. The latest move is bound to meet a similar reaction, given that it is illegal for an occupying power to confiscate or settle land in the territories it holds under its control.
The Israeli government has long been pushing to annex the West Bank despite international condemnation and opposition of its main ally, the US. President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken against the move, insisting that the annexation “is not going to happen.”
The Palestinian Presidency has strongly condemned the latest Israeli decision, calling it a “serious escalation.” The Israeli move effectively voids multiple signed agreements and openly contradicts UN Security Council resolutions, the presidency said.
Israel moves to tighten grip on West Bank – media
Israel has moved to tighten its control over the West Bank, approving a policy overhaul that has drawn condemnation from the Palestinian Authority (PA), Arab and Muslim countries, and the EU.
Much of the West Bank is under Israeli military control, while limited Palestinian self-rule exists in certain areas administered by the PA. The territory is divided into Areas A, B, and C, with Israel controlling security and civil matters in most of Area C, where the majority of settlements are located.
Israeli Cabinet-approved reforms on Sunday would make it easier for settlers in the West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians. Citing statements by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, The Times of Israel said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens from buying land in the West Bank.
They were also reported to include provisions that would enable Israeli authorities to oversee certain religious sites and to enhance supervision and enforcement in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority, specifically concerning environmental hazards, water violations, and damage to archaeological sites.
The reforms come despite US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which gives day-to-day governance in Gaza to a 15-member Palestinian technocrat team under a ‘Board of Peace.’ The body was unveiled last month as part of a US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Trump has stressed he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.
The PA condemned Israel’s “illegitimate and illegal” decisions, calling on the UN and the US to intervene. Palestinian militant group Hamas urged an “escalation” of the conflict “by all available means,” while appealing to Arab and Muslim states to sever ties with Israel.
The move also drew condemnation from the EU and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In a statement, the ministers warned against the Israeli “continued expansionist” policies and called on the international community to act.
The Israeli actions follow previous approvals for settlement construction, including measures announced in December. More than 700,000 Israelis reportedly now live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel from Jordan in 1967 and sought by Palestinians for a future state. Critics warn the continued settlement expansion could permanently undermine prospects for a two-state solution.