'Israel' defies law, approves 22 illegal West Bank settlements
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The move deepens the decades-long occupation of Palestinian land and draws renewed international condemnation amid escalating settler violence.
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Bulldozers work by an Israeli settlers outpost, near the Israeli settlement of Bruchin, on top of a hill and overlooking the adjacent Palestinian village of Bruqin, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP)
The Israeli Security Cabinet has secretly approved the establishment of 22 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israeli media reported.
According to Ynet, the Cabinet “secretly approved two weeks ago the establishment of 22 settlements in Judea and Samaria."
The decision, which was reportedly made two weeks ago, includes plans to re-establish the illegal settlements of Homesh and Sa-Nur, both dismantled during the 2005 unilateral “disengagement plan” from the Gaza Strip. The settlements are to be built in the region "Israel" refers to as “Judea and Samaria,” a biblical designation for the West Bank rejected by international bodies.
The initiative was jointly submitted by Security Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to the report.
The re-establishment of Homesh and Sa-Nur represents a symbolic and strategic move by the Israeli government. Both sites were previously evacuated under a disengagement policy that saw "Israel" withdraw settlers from Gaza while retaining control over its airspace, maritime access, and borders.
The return to these sites is widely viewed as a reversal of that policy and a further step in expanding illegal West Bank settlements.
Read next: ICC weighing arrest warrants for Israeli ministers over West Bank: WSJ
Palestinian Authority condemns the escalation
The Palestinian presidency strongly condemned the approval, calling it “a dangerous escalation that drags the region into a cycle of violence and instability.”
Presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the decision “represents a serious escalation and a challenge to international legitimacy and international law.”
He added, “The Israeli government's secret approval to establish 22 new settlements in the West Bank, including East al-Quds,” defies legal norms and the international consensus.
The secret approval comes amid a broader push by "Israel" to expand its occupation of Palestinian territories. On May 12, the Israeli Cabinet authorized the resumption of land registration procedures in so-called Area C, the part of the West Bank that remains under full Israeli occupation and constitutes approximately 61% of the territory.
Hamas: 'Israel' accelerating the Judaization of Palestinian land
On its part, Hamas affirmed that the Israeli Security Cabinet’s approval of the establishment of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank is “further confirmation that the criminal Zionist occupation continues to impose facts on the ground by accelerating the Judaization of Palestinian land."
It said this comes as "part of an explicit annexation project led by the government of terrorists and extremists headed by Netanyahu in an outrageous defiance of international will and a grave violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.”
The group called on the UN and the international community to take urgent steps that go beyond mere symbolic condemnations and move toward practical and deterrent measures to confront attempts to annihilate the Palestinian cause and to put an end to "annexation" and settlement expansion policies, which it described as war crimes and ongoing ethnic cleansing.
The movement also called for intensifying confrontation in all arenas and confronting these criminal schemes and settler terror gangs by all legitimate means.
Resistance is the only solution, PIJ says
Similarly, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement pointed out that the new Israeli aggressive policies are part of the occupation’s efforts to consolidate the "annexation" of the occupied West Bank and pave the way for the displacement of its residents in pursuit of Talmudic delusions.
These policies, it said, entrench a system of apartheid and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.
The PIJ stressed that these developments are yet another blow to those betting on the possibility of reaching a settlement with the Israeli entity, emphasizing that they prove the failure of all reliance on what is referred to as the international community, diplomatic pressure, and international conferences, which have thus far failed even to halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza or to bring water into the Strip.
It affirmed that “the only way to confront these plans is through resistance in all its forms, foremost among them armed resistance, which is a legitimate, legal, and human right,” asserting that the Palestinian people are capable of thwarting the occupation’s projects, no matter the cost.
This decision comes just months after a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). On July 19, 2024, the court declared that "Israel's" continued occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful and reaffirmed the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. The ICJ also called for the evacuation of all settlements established on occupied land, emphasizing their violation of international law.
Surge in West Bank violence since Gaza assault
The move also comes against a backdrop of escalating Israeli assaults across the West Bank. Since "Israel" launched its genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank has sharply increased.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 970 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 injured in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.
The approval of new illegal settlements, especially under secretive conditions, is widely viewed as a provocation that could fuel further instability at a time of already heightened regional tension.
