Israel announces major expansion of West Bank settlements despite sanctions threat
Israel's government has approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank despite some Western countries threatening targeted sanctions.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist who advocates for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, said on Thursday the new settlements would be located in the northern area of the West Bank but did not specify where.
Israel's Defense Ministry said that among the new Jewish settlements, existing "outposts" would be legalised and new settlements would also be built.
"[It] strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria [West Bank], anchors our historical right in the Land of Israel, and constitutes a crushing response to Palestinian terrorism," Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
He added it was also 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel".
Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war.
Israel later annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised by most of the international community.
Palestinians see expansion of the settlements as a hindrance to their aspirations to establish an independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel has already built over 100 settlements in the territory, which range from small hilltop "outposts" to fully developed communities with apartment blocks, shopping malls, and factories.
Most of the international community considers these settlements illegal, including Australia.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 2024 that Israel was in breach of international law, ordering it to end settlement activity and pay reparations to Palestinians.
Israel's government dismissed that finding as "blatantly one-sided" and not legally binding.
It deems most settlements legal under its own laws, while some of the illegal "outposts" are often tolerated and sometimes later legalised.
There is a growing list of European countries demanding an end to the war in Gaza, while Britain, France and Canada warned Israel this month it could impose targeted sanctions if Israel continued to expand settlements in the West Bank.
A joint statement by the three countries also said that they "strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza".
Settlement activity in the West Bank has accelerated sharply since the war in Gaza, now in its 20th month.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called Israel's decision a "dangerous escalation," accusing the government of continuing to drag the region into a "cycle of violence and instability".
"This extremist Israeli government is trying by all means to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," he told Reuters, urging US President Donald Trump's administration to intervene.
The Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called it "the most extensive move of its kind" in more than 30 years and warned it would "dramatically reshape the West Bank and entrench the occupation even further".
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the announcement and called on the US and the European Union to take action.
"The announcement of the building of 22 new settlements in the West Bank is part of the war led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people," Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
Following the ICJ ruling last year, Australia sanctioned seven Israeli settlers in the West Bank due to violent attacks on Palestinians, including sexual assault and torture.
Reuters/AP
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