Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Palestinians condemn 'Israel' approval of new West Bank settlements

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 23 Mar 2025 19:41
4 Min Read

The Israeli decision to recognize 13 neighborhoods as settlements in the West Bank was hailed by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called an important step for illegal Israeli settlements.

Listen
  • x
  • A housing construction site is seen at the illegal settlement of Eli, West Bank, Occupied Palestine Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 (AP)
    A housing construction site is seen at the illegal settlement of Eli, West Bank, Occupied Palestine Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 (AP)

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned an Israeli decision to recognize more than a dozen new illegal settlements, in a bid to boost efforts into annexing the West Bank.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned on Sunday an Israeli decision to recognize over a dozen new settlements in the occupied West Bank, upgrading existing neighborhoods to independent settlement status, expressing strong opposition to the move.

The 13 settlement neighborhoods that have been approved for development by the Israeli cabinet are spread across various areas of the West Bank, with some functioning as extensions of larger settlements while others exist as practically separate entities, each with its own unique characteristics and geographical positioning.

Although the cabinet has moved to recognize them as distinct communities under Israeli law, this recognition has not yet been finalized, leaving the process still incomplete and subject to further legal and administrative steps.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right leader and settler responsible for the cabinet's decision, hailed it as an "important step" for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, stating in a Telegram post that recognizing each neighborhood as a separate community would facilitate their development and describing the move as part of a "revolution."

"Instead of hiding and apologizing, we raise the flag, we build and we settle," Smotrich stated, adding, "This is another important step towards de facto sovereignty in Judea and Samaria." The far-right Israeli Finance Minister is a strong proponent of the formal annexation of the West Bank, as "Israel" did with East al-Quds.

The Israeli NGO Peace Now, which opposes settlements in the West Bank, condemned the decision to recognize 13 new ones, describing it as "another nail in the coffin" for the prospects of a "two-state solution" that envisions a Palestinian state alongside the Israeli occupation.

Israeli settlers and forces attack Palestinians in West Bank raids

Israeli settlers, backed by occupation forces, launched on March 18 attacks on Palestinians and their homes across the occupied West Bank.  

Related News

Israeli airstrikes ravage Gaza City, killing dozens, razing buildings

Israeli forces raid al-Aqsa library, step up West Bank demolitions

According to the WAFA news agency, settlers, supported by Israeli soldiers, assaulted Palestinians in Wadi Hilweh, part of the East al-Quds neighborhood of Silwan.

Activist Aref Jaber also reported settler violence in al-Khalil’s Old City, specifically in the Jaber, as-Salaymeh, and Wadi Nasara districts.  

During the attacks, 64-year-old Abdul Aziz al-Shantir sustained head injuries when settlers stormed his shop. In Wadi al-Hussein, east of al-Khalil, settlers hurled stones and empty bottles at Palestinian homes.  

Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided the village of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah, opening fire on a parked vehicle.  

Israeli occupation forces continued on Sunday their assault on the city of Tulkarm and its refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, raiding neighborhoods, setting fire to homes, and demolishing residential buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp.

For the 48th consecutive day, Israeli forces stormed several areas of the Tulkarm refugee camp, forcibly expelling Palestinian residents from their homes as part of their ongoing military assault.

Meanwhile, occupation troops deployed additional reinforcements to Tulkarm, moving through the main streets while restricting the movement of Palestinian civilians and vehicles. Military vehicles and bulldozers were also seen in front of buildings seized by Israeli forces on Nablus Street, which have been turned into military outposts.

Simultaneously, Israeli troops opened fire on an ambulance heading toward the Nur Shams refugee camp to evacuate a patient, preventing it from reaching its destination.

More than 12,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from Nur Shams so far, with another 12,000 displaced from the Tulkarm camp.

Israeli settlers use grazing to usurp West Bank land

In their study "The Bad Samaritan", published on March 21, Israeli NGOs Peace Now and Kerem Navot reported that over the preceding three years, 70% of the land seized by settlers had been "taken under the guise of grazing activities."

Settlers in the occupied West Bank utilize herding to establish a presence on agricultural grounds used by Palestinian populations, progressively denying them access to these areas, according to the research.

"Israeli authorities make living conditions very difficult, but settler violence is really the main trigger why people leave lately -- they have nothing to protect themselves," said Allegra Pacheco, head of the West Bank Protection Consortium, a consortium of international non-governmental organizations.

  • Occupied Palestine
  • Palestine
  • Israel
  • Illegal settlements
  • West Bank
  • settlements
  • Bezalel Smotrich

Most Read

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

  • Palestine
  • 14 Sep 2025
UKLFI’s latest faux pas, like "Israel’s" recent failed attempt at regime change in Iran, is unambiguously indicative of a flailing entity on the verge of extinction. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Zionist lawfare operation facing collapse?

  • Opinion
  • 13 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A Hezbollah supporter who lost his sight in a pager attack carried out by "Israel" on Sept. 17, 2024, covers his eyes with a red headband inscribed with the name "Hussein" during Ashoura, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'We Have Recovered': Lebanon marks 1st anniversary of Pager Attack

The Arab neighborhood of El Za'im, on the outskirts of east Occupied Al-Quds in the West Bank, near where Israeli government says housing units will be built as part of the E1 settlement project, Thursday, August 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Palestine

'Israel’s' deliberate policies drive West Bank economy toward collapse

Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Politics

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder resigns over parent company curbing activism

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll
US & Canada

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS