Israel’s security cabinet has approved plans to establish 19 new settlements across the occupied West Bank, a move condemned by Palestinian officials as a deepening of land theft and demographic engineering. The decision also reportedly revives two outposts in northern West Bank previously dismantled during the 2005 disengagement.
The plan, reportedly coordinated with the United States, was pushed forward by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a prominent settler and hardline figure within Israel’s governing coalition. Settlement expansion, though illegal under international law, enjoys broad support across Israel’s political spectrum.
Palestinian authorities condemned the move, warning it accelerates Israel’s annexation efforts. Mu’ayyad Sha’ban of the Palestinian Authority’s Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission described it as a step toward erasing Palestinian geography, raising fears about the future of the territory.
Hamas denounced the expansion as a dangerous escalation, accusing Israel of treating Palestinian land as colonial spoils and seeking complete control over the West Bank. The group called on the UN and human rights organizations to confront what it termed Israel’s unchecked colonial behavior.
The Palestinian National Council also condemned the decision, describing it as a double violation of international law and a systematic expansion of colonial structures. Its head, Rouhi Fattouh, emphasized that the move represents a de facto colonial authority outlawed under global legal frameworks.
The approval coincides with rising violence, as Israeli forces and settlers increase attacks across the West Bank amid ongoing conflict in Gaza. According to the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), at least 232 Palestinians, including 52 children, have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers this year. Over 1,700 settler attacks have caused casualties and property damage, with most incidents concentrated around Ramallah, Nablus, and Hebron.
Furthermore, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced this year in Area C, which comprises about 60% of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli military control. Homes have been demolished or seized, leaving entire communities without shelter as Israel continues to entrench an apartheid system across the territory.
