West Bank, MINA – Israeli occupation plans to build 2,339 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank, according to a report released Saturday by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s National Bureau for Defending Land as cited by Anadolu Agency.
The expansion includes 1,352 units in Qalqilya in the northern West Bank, 430 units in two existing settlements northeast of Ramallah and northwest of Jerusalem, 407 units in Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, and another 150 units west of Ramallah.
The PLO bureau warned that this move aims to establish geographical continuity between Jewish-only settlements in Qalqilya, a strategy that would further isolate Palestinian towns into enclaves surrounded by settlements.
The report also highlighted a “complementary role” played by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has been actively promoting settlement construction, and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who allegedly provides protection to illegal settlers involved in violence.
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In a controversial move on Thursday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced the creation of a police unit composed of illegal settlers, which analysts view as part of Israel’s deepening de facto annexation of the West Bank.
According to Palestinian data, approximately 770,000 illegal Israeli settlers reside in 180 settlements and 256 outposts across the occupied West Bank.
The United Nations and the broader international community consider all Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly stated that continued settlement expansion poses a major threat to the viability of a two-state solution, widely regarded as essential to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinian authorities have recorded at least 2,153 attacks by settlers in the West Bank during the first half of 2025 alone, resulting in the deaths of four Palestinians.
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Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, the violence has spilled into the West Bank, where Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 998 Palestinians and injured over 7,000, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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