Israel approves 19 new settlements in the West Bank to “prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state”

Israel’s Security Ministerial Council approved on Sunday the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, in a move that far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said was aimed at “preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

According to a statement issued by Smotrich’s office, this announcement brings the number of settlements approved during the last three years to 69 settlements.

The Israeli approval comes days after the United Nations announced that the pace of settlement in the West Bank had accelerated, reaching its highest levels since at least 2017.

A statement from Smotrich’s office said, “In the mini-ministerial council, the proposal of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz to approve and regulate 19 new settlements” in the occupied West Bank was approved.

The statement described the step as “historic” and aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“On the ground, we are preventing the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state,” Smotrich said.

He added, “We will continue to develop, build, and strengthen settlement in the land of our historical heritage, believing in the justice of the path we are taking.”

According to the statement, “the sites of these settlements are of high strategic importance, led by the re-establishment of the Ganim and Kadim settlements,” which were previously removed in the northern West Bank about two decades ago.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “continuous expansion” of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

“This expansion continues to inflame tensions, impedes Palestinian access to their lands, and threatens the viability of a fully independent, democratic, geographically contiguous and sovereign Palestinian state,” he said earlier this month.

– ‘Sharp increase’
The Israeli approval comes after the United Nations announced that the pace of settlement in the West Bank has accelerated, reaching its highest levels since at least 2017.

“These numbers represent a sharp increase compared to previous years,” Guterres said, noting that the average number of settlement housing units added annually between 2017 and 2022 reached 12,815 units.

He added, “These developments consolidate the illegal Israeli occupation, violate international law, and undermine the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”

Among the settlements that were also approved, five informal settlements were already in place but did not have legal status.

US President Donald Trump had warned Israel against annexing the West Bank, a step that ministers in the right-wing government in Israel are trying to implement as quickly as possible.

Last summer, Israel approved the E-One settlement project, which would separate the northern West Bank from its south, and in turn sparked angry Palestinian and international reactions.

The project is considered one of the largest settlement projects recently announced by the Israeli government, especially since it will include the construction of 3,400 new settlement units and the expansion of the Maale Adumim settlement located to the east of Jerusalem.

Trump previously said in an interview with Time magazine, “Israel will lose all support from the United States if this happens.”

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, while settlement outposts are also illegal under Israeli law.