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Israel announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank on May 29, risking further worsening relations with the international community, already strained by the war in Gaza.
The construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank has been consistently condemned by the United Nations, which considers them illegal under international law. The settlements are seen as one of the main obstacles to lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The decision to build new settlements, which was made during a meeting of Israel's security cabinet, was made public by the far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a settler, and by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who is responsible for managing the communities.
"We have taken a historic decision on settlement development: 22 new communities in Judea and Samaria, the renewal of the settlement in northern Samaria, and the strengthening of the eastern axis of the state of Israel," Smotrich said in a post on X, using the Israeli term for the southern and northern West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
"Next step: sovereignty," he added.
Katz said the initiative "changes the face of the region and shapes the future of the settlements in the years to come."
Meanwhile, in a statement, Hamas - the Palestinian group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - condemned the move, calling it "further confirmation that the criminal Zionist occupation continues to impose facts on the ground, accelerating steps to Jewishize Palestinian land through the annexation plan."
Israel's decision has also been condemned by Western ally Jordan, which called it a "flagrant violation of international law that undermines the possibilities for peace by deepening the occupation."
Meanwhile, through a statement published on Telegram, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party said this was "a once-in-a-generation decision," adding that the initiative was led by Smotrich and Katz.
"The decision also includes the establishment of four communities along the eastern border with Jordan, as part of strengthening Israel's axis, national security and strategic control over the area," the statement said.
The party published a map showing the 22 settlements scattered throughout the territory.
Two of the settlements, Komesh and Sa-Nur, are particularly symbolic. Located in the northern West Bank, they were previously effectively settlements, after settlers were evacuated from them in 2005 as part of Israel's disengagement from Gaza.
Netanyahu's current government, formed in 2022 with the support of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, is the most right-wing executive in Israel's history.
Human rights groups and non-governmental organizations that oppose the settlements say the pace towards the de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank has accelerated, especially since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas in October 2023./ REL
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