Israel Secretly Approves 34 New Settlements Across Occupied West Bank

Israel's Security Cabinet secretly approved the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

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Al Jazeera

The decision was made without public announcement to avoid angering the American administration amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Al Jazeera

Ten of the new settlements are existing outposts that will be legalized, while the rest will be built from scratch.

Peace Now confirmed the decision, noting it would add to the 68 settlements created since late 2022, bringing the total to 102.

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned the army could collapse due to the additional burden while Israel is at war.

More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank alongside about three million Palestinians.

The Palestinian presidency described the move as an additional Israeli step for annexation, expansion, and displacement.

Palestinian Authority official Muayed Shaaban said the distribution of new settlement sites shows systematic targeting of areas around the Green Line.

Indbndnt Arabiya

The UN regards all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as illegal under international law.

The decision came nine days after the Israeli Security Cabinet endorsed it.

The Guardian noted European fashion retailers face fresh questions after a factory fire killed at least 33 garment workers in Bangladesh.

The Clean Clothes Campaign called the audit system fundamentally broken.

The settlement push is attributed to the most right-wing government in Israel's history.

“Summary: The settlements planned to be established would be spread across the West Bank, from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south, passing through Ramallah and the Jordan Valley to the east”

Indbndnt Arabiya

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the settlements aim to kill any possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.

The decision remained classified as secret to avoid American pressure.

The move came amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The pace of settlement expansion accelerated markedly since the far-right came to power in late 2022.