DaysofPal – The extremist Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is accelerating efforts to seize large areas of the occupied West Bank through an aggressive expansion of settlement projects. This move comes amid its ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and is enabled by widespread international and regional silence regarding Israel’s violations in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Netanyahu’s coalition is pushing forward pre-planned settlement schemes aimed at fragmenting Palestinian territory and entrenching permanent Israeli control. On Sunday, the Israeli government approved the establishment of 22 new settlements across the West Bank, as part of a joint initiative by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
According to The Jerusalem Post, this plan revives settlement activity in areas such as Homesh and Sanur in the northern West Bank and includes the development of residential clusters along the Jordan Valley. A map released by Netanyahu’s Likud Party illustrates a strategic spread of settlements from the northern to southern West Bank, further undermining the contiguity of Palestinian land.
A Surge in Settlement Expansion
Suhail Khalilieh, Director of the Settlement Monitoring Unit at the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ), stated that the Israeli government has approved plans for over 35,000 settlement units across various parts of the West Bank. Khalilieh noted that the pace of approvals has significantly accelerated since bureaucratic checks were removed.
Previously, settlement plans had to go through 17 procedural stages, often taking years to approve. However, since Finance Minister Smotrich took control of the Civil Administration—a key authority managing the West Bank—approvals now take only two to three stages, allowing for near-instant implementation.
Smotrich, whose position also gives him budgetary authority over settlement projects, has used this dual role to both fund and fast-track illegal construction. Khalilieh noted that settlers currently control about 10% of the West Bank, with around 40% falling under the jurisdiction of various Settlement Councils.
Legalizing Illegal Outposts
Raed Muqadi, a West Bank settlement affairs expert, echoed these concerns, stating that the new plan is primarily aimed at legalizing unauthorized outposts—effectively granting them legal status. Once legalized, these outposts become eligible for public services, infrastructure funding, and local administrative councils.
Muqadi warned that the move paves the way for the seizure of hundreds of dunams of land, particularly in the Jordan Valley and areas surrounding Jerusalem. He also confirmed that settlement activity has doubled since October 7, 2023—marking a 100% increase compared to the past five years.
During this period, more than 100 new outposts have been established, thousands of dunams of agricultural land have been closed off, and Bedouin communities have faced forced displacement, often under the pretext of security concerns.
“The occupation aims to consolidate control over the West Bank as part of a long-term plan for annexation,” Muqadi emphasized. He called for international support to strengthen Palestinian resilience against what he described as a “fierce and calculated assault.”
A Strategic Shift Disguised as Development
Israeli officials claim that the expansion reflects their commitment to “security and sustainable development,” with Smotrich describing the decision as a “strategic transformation of vital areas.” However, critics argue that the project amounts to de facto annexation and a continuation of Israel’s decades-long effort to impose unilateral realities on the ground.
Since the onset of the war on Gaza in October 2023, the Israeli government has ramped up demolitions, displacement, and settlement activity in the West Bank in what many experts now describe as a coordinated campaign of land theft and ethnic cleansing.
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