West Bank, MINA – Israel’s Security Cabinet “secretly” approved the establishment of 34 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank during a recent session, Israeli media reported on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports.
Channel 24 did not specify the exact date of the decision but said it was taken during the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28.
“The Security Cabinet secretly approved the construction of 34 new settlements in the West Bank, a record number passed in a single move during the campaign against Iran,” the channel said.
The approved sites include locations within Palestinian neighborhoods in the northern West Bank and remote areas rarely reached by Israeli forces, the broadcaster said.
Also Read: Gaza Death Toll Rises to 72,329 as Two More Bodies Arrive at Hospitals
“This is the largest number of settlements ever approved in a single cabinet session,” the channel added.
According to the report, the total number of illegal settlements approved by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since it came to power in late 2022 rose to 103.
According to the channel, Israel’s Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir attended the meeting and did not explicitly object to the decision. He, however, raised concerns about limited manpower and requested an assessment of implementing the decision across multiple areas simultaneously.
The cabinet also chose to keep the decision secret to avoid US pressure during the ongoing war against Iran, as President Donald Trump has publicly opposed Israeli annexation of the West Bank, the channel said.
Also Read: Gaza Faces ‘Engineered Starvation’ as Flour Crisis Threatens Bread System Collapse
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government on the report.
The Palestinian Authority, for its part, denounced the Israeli move as a “dangerous escalation” and a “blatant violation” of international law.
In a statement carried by the state news agency Wafa, the authority said all forms of settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law, citing UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which affirms that settlements have no legal validity and must stop.
The authority warned that the move reflects “Israeli plans for annexation, expansion and displacement,” and held the Israeli government responsible for the consequences.
Also Read: Israeli Extremist Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir Storms Al-Aqsa Mosque Again
It urged the international community, particularly the United States, to intervene immediately to halt the “unilateral Israeli measures.”
Illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has accelerated since Netanyahu’s government took office in late 2022.
The international community and the United Nations consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, occupied Palestinian territory, and regard Israeli settlement activity there as “illegal” under international law.
About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 141 illegal settlements and 224 outposts across the West Bank, including 250,000 in 15 illegal settlements in East Jerusalem.[]
Also Read: Palestinian Children in Israeli Detention Face Abuses: Save the Children
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
Mina Indonesia
Mina Arabic
Mina Sport