DaysofPal- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned reports that the Israeli occupation plans to approve nearly 2,000 new illegal settlement units in the occupied West Bank, calling the move a “dangerous escalation” and a flagrant violation of international law.
According to the far-right Israel National News, the construction plan is being advanced under the direction of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in the government’s settlement expansion drive.
The plan seeks to further consolidate the Israeli control over large parts of the West Bank, in what Palestinians view as an attempt to preempt any future Palestinian state.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Israeli Knesset (parliament) advanced a motion to formally annex the West Bank, a step that drew widespread condemnation from the United Nations, European Union, and several Arab states.
“These settlement plans constitute a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions,” Hamas said in a statement.
“They confirm that the occupation is moving forward with its creeping annexation project on the ground, completely disregarding international warnings and demands.” It added.
Hamas warned that the latest Israeli move will further inflame tensions across the region and undermine any prospects for peace, accusing the Israeli occupation of exploiting global distraction with the ongoing Gaza war to accelerate its settlement agenda.
Experts and rights groups say Israel already maintains a de facto annexation of the West Bank, exercising full control over land, movement, and resources while expanding settlements that are illegal under international law.
Far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition have repeatedly called for formal annexation, framing it as a “biblical and national duty.”
The international community continues to view all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into occupied land.
Hamas urged the international community to take “concrete measures rather than mere statements” to stop the Israeli expansionist policies, warning that silence in the face of such actions would amount to complicity.
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