Israel has authorized a significant expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move seen as a continuation of de facto annexation of the territory.
According to Peace Now, an Israeli NGO that monitors settlements, this represents the largest settlement expansion since the Oslo Accords were signed over 30 years ago.
The new decision by Israel’s security cabinet, announced jointly by Defense Minister Israel Katz and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, includes the establishment of 22 new settlements. These will be built deep within the West Bank and in areas from which Israel had previously withdrawn.
The statement from the ministers highlighted that these new communities are part of a long-term strategic plan aimed at solidifying Israeli control over the region, preventing the creation of a Palestinian state, and securing land for future settlement development.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority president, condemned the announcement as a “dangerous escalation” and a violation of international legitimacy and law. He warned the move would fuel ongoing violence and instability in the region.
Peace Now sharply criticized the government for pushing forward with this decision during a time of conflict, stating it clearly prioritizes expanding occupation and annexation over pursuing peace. The organization accused the Israeli government of openly aiming to annex the occupied territories and expand settlements as a central objective.
Jewish settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights are widely considered illegal under international law.
The Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, were designed to lay the groundwork for a Palestinian state and a two-state solution.
For months, Israel’s military has conducted extensive operations in the West Bank, deploying tanks for the first time in decades and displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians. In February, Katz ordered preparations for a prolonged military presence as Palestinian refugee camps were evacuated. Recent weeks have seen multiple waves of raids and arrests across the territory.
Peace Now noted that 12 of the planned new settlements will legalize previously unauthorized outposts, which were originally established by settlers without government approval to push for formal recognition. Nine settlements will be entirely new, while one existing neighborhood will be reclassified as an independent settlement.
Two of the settlements approved in this plan had been evacuated in 2005 during Israel’s disengagement from parts of the West Bank, which prohibited civilian Israeli presence there. This policy has since been overturned by the current right-wing government.
Finance Minister Smotrich openly celebrated the expansion, making clear his ambition for full annexation. “The next step – sovereignty! We did not take foreign land, but the inheritance of our ancestors,” he stated.
Earlier this month, Israel’s security cabinet also approved a land registration initiative for Area C of the West Bank, an area under Israeli civil and security control. Peace Now described this move as a massive theft of Palestinian lands.