Israeli cabinet is set to approve on Thursday a plan to fund the de facto establishment of 61 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on social media platform X on Wednesday.
Israel’s hardline finance minister earlier announced a major expansion by more than 2,000 homes of three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank that Palestinians hope will be part of a future independent state.
Most nations consider Israeli settlements there to be illegal under international law and a major obstacle to a two-state solution for long-term peace.
Bezalel Smotrich, who holds authority over parts of Israel’s civilian administration in the West Bank, said a planning committee approved the construction of 2,162 new Jewish homes.
They include 1,006 units in a new settlement near Jerusalem, 922 near the Palestinian city of Nablus and 234 near Hebron.
“We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice,” said Smotrich, an ultranationalist sanctioned by Britain, France and others who accuse him of inciting violence against Palestinians.
According to Ravid the draft government decision will allocate more than $350 million over several years to move 61 newly authorized settlements from paper to reality.
The plan would fund temporary residential compounds, public buildings and infrastructure even before formal planning procedures are completed.
Ravid said the government was seeking to approve the funding before a possible vote to dissolve the Knesset and trigger new elections - a scenario that could make large-scale budget allocations substantially more difficult.
Many of the settlements included in the proposal are located in strategically sensitive areas, including along Highway 90 in the Jordan Valley, in the South Hebron Hills, and in locations designed to create territorial continuity between existing settlements. The move is likely to undermine the prospect of a future Palestinian state and comes amid a broader effort by the Israeli government to strengthen its hold over Area C of the West Bank.
The proposal follows a government decision approved last week that allocated roughly $35 million for planning and regulatory work related to the same settlements.
The new homes would “strengthen our hold on the land, reinforce Israel’s security, and establish clear facts on the ground that prevent the creation of an Arab terror state in the heart of the country,” Smotrich said in a statement, without specifying when construction would begin.
Since becoming a minister three years ago, Smotrich has sought to tighten Israel’s control and presence in the West Bank while advocating against the idea of a Palestinian state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government has overseen the significant expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the establishment of new settlements.
- With Reuters
