The Israeli government is looking to "strengthen" illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank in response to countries recognizing the Palestinian State along the 1967 borders. 

A statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that proposals for strengthening colonial settling projects in the occupied territory will be voted on at the next security cabinet meeting. 

This announcement comes following growing hostility expressed by Israeli politicians in response to the recognition of Palestine by Spain, Ireland, and Norway, who made the move as part of their efforts to bring back into the picture a "peace process" between the Israeli government and the Palestinian people. 

Netanyahu and his government's response to the decision to recognize the Palestinian State emphatically reveals the Israeli stance on the prospects of supposed peace in the occupied territories.

10,000 settlement units per country recognizing Palestine

Efforts to reinforce Israeli settler projects in the occupied West Bank have seen increased support following the formation of Netanyahu's coalition government in late 2022. 

Although illegal settling in the West Bank first started in 1967, the arrival of far-right and ultra-Orthodox Israeli politicians into the ruling coalition has intensified efforts of ethnically cleansing Palestinians in the West Bank, continuously arming armed settlers and employing policies of maximum pressure policies against the native Palestinians. 

The war on Gaza has also coincided with direct calls for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, especially from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. 

In May, Smotrich urged the approval of an additional 10,000 settlement units in the West Bank and the establishment of a new settlement in the occupied territory for every country that recognizes Palestine. 

Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been deemed illegal by international bodies, and the establishment of some is also illegal under Israeli law. However, the continuous expansion of Israeli settlements has been spurred by consecutive governments that provided the means and infrastructure for the establishment of colonial outposts. 

Not only that but Israeli occupation forces are also heavily involved in providing the necessary security for the establishment of these units on usurped Palestinian lands. 

There are currently 144 illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which cut and slice the territory, altering its demography and economy and heavily affecting day-to-day life for Palestinians. 

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