The Israeli government has authorized the establishment of 11 new settlements within the occupied West Bank, a contentious decision announced amidst ongoing efforts to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. This move, coupled with the legalization of eight previously unauthorized outposts, represents a significant expansion of Israeli presence in territories recognized as occupied under international law.
The security cabinet approved these settlements on December 12th following proposals from far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz. This development brings the total number of settlements approved during Smotrich’s tenure since November 2022 to 69. The minister celebrated the decision as “a record like no other,” proclaiming on social media that “the people of Israel are returning to their land, building it and strengthening their hold on it.”
Among the newly legalized areas are Kadim and Ganim, two of four West Bank settlements dismantled in 2005 during Israel’s Gaza disengagement. This authorization occurs despite clear international legal standards that deem all settlement construction in occupied territories illegal.
Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers currently reside in around 150 government-authorized settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories seized during the 1967 Middle East war. An additional 200 unauthorized outposts complete the settlement landscape, with the International Court of Justice ruling in 2024 that both types of settlements violate international law.
Palestinian authorities have condemned the move vehemently. Muayyad Shaban, head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission and a Palestinian Authority minister, characterized the decision as “a war of extermination against Palestinian geography.” He urged international intervention to halt what he described as “a dangerous escalation” that reveals “the true intentions of the occupation government to entrench the system of annexation, apartheid and the complete Judaisation of Palestinian land.”
International criticism has emerged as well. British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer condemned the settlements as “illegal under international law” and warned they risk undermining both the US-designed 20-Point Plan to end the Gaza war and prospects for a two-state solution.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of escalating violence in the West Bank. Since the beginning of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank. According to the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission, November alone witnessed approximately 2,144 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian civilians and property, with 1,523 perpetrated by soldiers and 621 by settlers.