As the right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to stop the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, the Israeli security cabinet has approved 19 new settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
As Netanyahu’s government has made the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory a priority, the United Nations has said Israeli settlement expansions in 2025 have reached their highest level since 2017.
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “These figures represent a significant increase compared to previous years,” adding that an average of 12 815 new housing units were added every year between 2017 and 2022.
The West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem have seen an increase in settlement and outpost numbers under the current far-right government, which is up by nearly 50% from 141 in 2022 to 210 now. An outpost is built without government authorisation while a settlement is authorised by the Israeli government.
These settlements, which are viewed as illegal under international law, make up nearly 10% of Israel’s 7.7 million Jewish population.
What are the most important facts about the recently approved settlements and what they mean for the future of Palestinian statehood.
The new settlements have been relocated.
More than three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, including Jenin in the north and Hebron in the south, making up the new settlements.
Most of them are close to the densely populated Palestinian villages of Duma, Jalud, Qusra and al-Lubban Asharqiya in the Nablus governorate and Sinjil in the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate, according to Peace Now, an antisettlement watchdog group based in Israel. The watchdog’s recommendations for the new settlement areas include those in the Salfit governorate, the northwestern West Bank, close to the Palestinian towns of Sa’ir and Beit Sahour, and in the Jericho governorate, among others.
Palestinians are being forced out of their homes by Israel’s construction boom, which is entangling the occupation. Settlements dot the West Bank and are often connected by Israeli-only highways while Palestinians face roadblocks and security checks, making their daily commutes harrowing experiences.
Additionally, Israel has constructed a Separation Barrier through the West Bank, which will restrict Palestinians’ movement for more than 700 kilometers (435 miles). Israel claims that the wall is meant to protect people.
Under a dual legal system, Palestinians are tried in Israel’s military courts while crimes committed by settlers are referred to a civilian court.
Ganim and Kadim, two of the four West Bank settlements east of Jenin, were also approved by Israel’s most recent approval, which was a unilateral withdrawal by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
According to a statement from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s office, five of the 19 settlements already exist but had not previously been granted legal status under Israeli law.
Israel controls most of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territory Palestinians want to be part of a future state along with Gaza. In a 1967 conflict, Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. East Jerusalem, which Palestinians view as their future capital, was later annexed.
Israeli settlements and outposts are Jewish-only communities built on Palestinian land and they can range in size from a single dwelling to a collection of high-rises. According to Peace Now, there are about 700,000 settlers in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The most recent approval comes as Israel and other Arab allies have been working together to restart the Gaza ceasefire. After a meeting on Friday of top officials from the US, Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar in the US city of Miami, Florida, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of committing repeated violations of the ceasefire that began in October.
After more than 70 000 Palestinians were killed in a genocidal war for more than two years, Israel still controls nearly half of Gaza’s territory.
Has settlement construction spiked in recent years?
According to a statement from Smotrich’s office, who is a vocal supporter of settlement expansion and a settler himself, the total number approved over the past three years has reached 69.
The West Bank’s largest expansion in a decade was approved by Israel in May by 22 new settlements, the largest increase in a decade.
The UN chief has condemned what he described as Israel’s “relentless” expansion of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. According to Guterres, it “continues to exacerbate tensions, impedes Palestinians’ access to their land, and threatens the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state.”
Since Israel’s war against Gaza began, Palestinians have also been in increased need of settler violence.
According to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers have attacked Palestinians nearly 3, 000 times over the past two years.
The olive harvest, which is crucial for many Palestinian families because it is a crucial time of year and provides a major source of income, is frequently the time of year for settler attacks to increase.
Israeli soldiers frequently accompany or protect settlers, and they are frequently armed. In addition to destroying Palestinian property, they have carried out arson attacks and killed Palestinian residents.
According to OCHA data, every governorate in the West Bank has been the target of settler attacks for the past two years.
Are international laws applicable to settlements?
No. Israeli settlements are viewed by the UN, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the International Committee of Red Cross as violating the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids settler activity.
The UN’s top court, the ICJ, determined that Israel’s occupation, settlement activity, and annexation measures are against international law in a landmark ruling in July 2024. In its nonbinding advisory opinion, the ICJ ruled that Israel’s continued presence in occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”.
The judges cited a number of policies, including the establishment of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the use of the region’s natural resources, the granting of permanent lands, and discriminatory measures against Palestinians, all of which the judges alleged were against international law.
A resolution was passed two months later by the UN General Assembly, inviting Israel to end its year-long occupation of Palestinian territory.
But Israel has defied the resolution by the global body backed by its ally – the United States. Israel is being protected by Washington’s diplomatic immunity from numerous UN resolutions.
Since returning to power in January, US President Donald Trump has adopted a permissive stance towards Israeli settlement activity, breaking with longstanding US policy.
He claimed that international law did not make Israeli settlements in the West Bank inherently illegal. Additionally, Trump lifted the sanctions placed on several settlers and organizations that are accused of abusing Palestinians in the West Bank by his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
US sanctions on settlers under Biden came under Washington’s long-held policy that settlements are the biggest impediments to the two-state solution to the conflict.
Trump and his associates have, however, stated on numerous occasions that Israel is unable to annex the West Bank. Trump stated in October that he “given my word to the Arab countries,” saying that it wouldn’t happen. “Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened”.
What will the new settlements have an impact on a Palestinian state’s future?
The growing settlements – together with other projects undertaken by Netanyahu’s government like the E1 settlement plan that will split the West Bank – are further squeezing Palestinians in occupied territory.
The expansion of settlements has drawn criticism from the international community, including Israel’s allies in Europe, who claim that they impair the chances of a two-state solution.
However, Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, two members of Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet, have rebuffed their opposition to a Palestinian state.
“On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state”, Smotrich said in his statement on Sunday.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir were subject to sanctions in June from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway for inciting violence.
In a push for the two-state solution, several European countries, including the UK and France, as well as Australia, recognized Palestinian statehood in September.
Israel condemned the move, and Netanyahu said he won’t allow a Palestinian state. He has previously bragged about how he helped encourage the expansion of settlements in occupied territory by abusing the Oslo peace agreements of 1993 and 1995.
Source: Aljazeera
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