The Israeli government has approved the creation of 19 new settlements in the West Bank. The settlements, built for Jews, are on Palestinian lands occupied by Israel.
“The cabinet approved the proposal I raised together with my friend, Minister of Defense Israel Katz, to declare and regulate 19 new settlements!” Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X.
הקבינט אישר את ההצעה שהעלתי יחד עם ידידי שר הביטחון ישראל כ”ץ להכריז ולהסדיר 19 יישובים חדשים!
ממשיכים לעשות היסטוריה בהתיישבות ובמדינת ישראל.
ב”ה אחרי עשרים שנה אנחנו מתקנים עוול כואב ומחזירים את גנים וכדים למפת ההתיישבות, לצד עוד יישובים חשובים בכל רחבי יהודה ושומרון.
בתוך… pic.twitter.com/K4FAVsvLpw
— בצלאל סמוטריץ’ (@bezalelsm) December 21, 2025
He said the new settlements include two that were abandoned by Israel during Disengagement in 2005, officially recognizing unpermitted existing settlements, and building new settlements on Palestinian land.
Israel has rapidly expanded settlements in the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in 2022. Smotrich said that the government has approved 69 new settlements, bringing the total number to 210.
As Israel is an occupying power in the West Bank, the settlements are illegal under international law.
Smotrich has said that settlement expansion has buried the idea of an independent Palestinian state. The approval of the new settlements could also hinder negotiations to end the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. Under the agreement brokered by President Donald Trump, Israel agreed not to annex the West Bank. However, settlement expansion is creating the conditions of de facto annexation.
