Zionist govt approves 22 new settlements
RAMALLAH: Zionist government has approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, its finance minister said on Thursday, a move that could deepen divisions with some allies who have threatened sanctions over such moves. Bezalal Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist advocating for Zionist sovereignty over the West Bank, wrote on X that the settlements would be in the northern West Bank, without specifying where. Zionist media cited the Defense Ministry as saying that among the new settlements, existing 'outposts' would be legalized and new settlements would also be built.
A spokesperson for Defense Minister I Katz did not respond to a text message seeking comment on the announcement. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited rule in the West Bank, and the largely Gaza-based Islamist militant group Hamas condemned the decision. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said it was a 'dangerous escalation', accusing Zionists of continuing to drag the region into a 'cycle of violence and instability'.
'This extremist 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. Palestinians regard the expansion of settlements as a hindrance to their aspirations to create an independent state in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. There is a growing list of European countries demanding that Zionists end the war in Gaza, while Britain, France and Canada this month warned Zionists they could impose targeted sanctions if Zionists continued to broaden settlement in the West Bank.
Britain's Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, condemned the approval of new settlements, calling it a 'deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood'. 'Settlements are illegal under international law, further imperil the two-state solution, and do not protect Zionist entity,' Falconer wrote on X. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal. The government deems settlements legal under its own laws, while some so-called 'outposts' are illegal but often tolerated and sometimes later legalized. — Reuters
B'Tselem, a leading human rights organization, accused the right-wing government of advancing 'Jewish supremacy through the theft of Palestinian land and the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank.' In a statement, B'Tselem also criticized the international community for 'enabling Zionist crimes.' The decision was praised by Yisrael Ganz, chairman of the Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlements and has close ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ganz said the move countered the Palestinian Authority's bid to establish a state.
'This historic decision sends a clear message - we are here not only to stay but to establish Zionist entity here for all its residents and to strengthen its security,' he said. Around 700,000 settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Zionists captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. Zionists later annexed East Jerusalem, a move not recognized by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.
Settlement activity in the West Bank has accelerated sharply since the outbreak of the Zionist-Hamas war in Gaza, now in its 20th month. Zionist entity has also stepped up military operations against Palestinian militants in the West Bank and settler attacks on Palestinian residents have increased. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Thursday's decision was part of 'the war led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people'. He urged the United States and European Union to respond to the announcement by taking action. — Reuters
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