Israeli minister approves 2,162 new West Bank settlement homes

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right figure, has approved the construction of 2,162 additional housing units in three settlements in the occupied West Bank. The approved locations are near Jerusalem, Nablus, and Hebron. This move is explicitly presented as an assertion of sovereignty and a strategy to "consolidate our hold on the territory."

The decision, made by the Higher Planning Council within the Civil Administration, a Defense Ministry body, allocates 1,006 units to Gvaot near Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, significantly expanding the settlement. An additional 922 units are planned near Nablus, and 234 near Hebron. Smotrich stated, "This is not just a planning step; it is a national development that consolidates our hold on the territory, strengthens Israel's security, and establishes clear facts that will prevent the creation of an Arab terrorist state in the heart of the country."

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This is not just a planning step; it is a national development that consolidates our hold on the territory, strengthens Israel's security, and establishes clear facts that will prevent the creation of an Arab terrorist state in the heart of the country.

This announcement is not an isolated incident but reflects an accelerating trend in settlement expansion. Since the beginning of 2025, Israeli authorities have validated the construction of over 20,000 housing units in the West Bank. Smotrich has increasingly centralized control over land policy in the occupied territories, with planning procedures no longer requiring political or Defense Ministry approval since June 2023, now falling directly under his purview.

Palestinians have strongly condemned the move, with President Mahmoud Abbas's office warning that Israel's "provocative" policies risk escalating regional violence. They called on Washington to intervene against what they termed "Israeli delirium." The approvals come amid a surge in settlement activity, with Smotrich previously approving the symbolic E1 project, which aims to sever the West Bank geographically and hinder the possibility of a Palestinian state.

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We continue concretely to build the land of Israel.