Israel Has Approved 19 New Illegal Israeli Settlements In The Occupied West Bank
All settlements and outposts in the West Bank are considered illegal and in breach of international law.
Israel’s security cabinet has approved 19 new illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The West Bank is home to roughly three million Palestinians, who live under Israel’s occupation, and hundreds of thousands of illegal Israeli settlers.
All settlements and outposts in the West Bank are considered illegal and in breach of international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
This is because settlements and outposts often seize Palestinians’ lands that were previously used for agriculture or grazing, with Israelis restricting Palestinians’ movement by controlling key roads and checkpoints and increasing settler violence against Palestinians.
There have been record levels of settler-linked violence in recent years, including attacks on Palestinian farmers and property.
On Sunday, Dec. 21, Israeli far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who proposed the move along with far-right defense minister Israel Katz, said in a post on X that the latest approval was to continue blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Smotrich said the new settlements include two previously dismantled outposts Ganim and Kadim and would legalize five existing ones, bringing the total approved settlements number since 2023 to 69.
The 19 sites are described by Israeli officials as "highly strategic," targeting northern West Bank areas near Jenin and densely populated Palestinian zones, some on expelled community lands.
Peace Now reported that this would nearly double recognized settlements from 141 to around 210 if implemented.
In response, 14 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK, issued a joint statement condemning the approvals as a violation of international law and warning it could fuel instability and undermine peace efforts.
Egypt has also publicly rejected settlement expansion as an obstacle to peace and a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, Israel also controls more than 50% of the Gaza Strip in the so-called “yellow line” under the “ceasefire.”
Kassy Cho
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
