Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.
“We have made a historic decision for the development of settlements: 22 new communities in Judea and Samaria, renewing settlement in the north of Samaria, and reinforcing the eastern axis of the State of Israel,” Smotrich said on X, using the Israeli terms for the occupied West Bank.
Israeli minister of military affairs Israel Katz said the expansion plan “changes the face of the region and shapes the future of settlement for years to come.”
In a statement on Telegram, the right-wing Likud party of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the move a “once-in-a-generation decision”, saying the initiative had been led by Smotrich and Katz.
The party published a map showing the 22 sites spread across the territory.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement expansion in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent state with East al-Quds as its capital.
Hamas condemnation
Hamas condemned the move as “further confirmation that the criminal Zionist occupation continues to impose facts on the ground by accelerating steps to Judaize Palestinian land within a clear annexation project".
“This is a blatant defiance of the international will and a grave violation of international law and United Nations resolutions,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.
“We call on the international community to take practical measures to confront the policies of annexation and settlement expansion, which constitute a war crime,” the Gaza-based movement noted.
For its part, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement denounced it as part of a colonial scheme to completely annex the West Bank, displace the Palestinian residents, and fulfill Talmudic dreams by imposing an apartheid regime and committing ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.
The movement also pointed to the international community's inability to stop the carnage in Gaza and even deliver humanitarian aid.
“These actions represent a sharp slap in the face to anyone who is still committed to the reconciliation process or international pressure," it said.
"The only effective option to confront these plans is resistance, especially armed resistance, because defending the land, rights, and sanctities is a legitimate and necessary right for the Palestinian people."
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