The Israeli government is expected on Thursday to approve the allocation of 1 billion shekels (approximately $338 million) for new settlement projects in the occupied West Bank, including infrastructure development and expanded services for settlements and outposts, according to the anti-settlement group Peace Now.
The move comes amid a significant acceleration of settlement expansion under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, with strong backing from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leading advocate of settlement growth and opponent of Palestinian statehood.
According to the agenda of Israel’s security cabinet, discussions will focus on legalizing and funding settlement outposts previously established and designated by the government as “temporary.”
Draft plans reported by Israeli media indicate that the funding will be used to build access roads, prepare land, install water and sewage networks, and construct new housing units and residential compounds.
Last week, the Israeli government also announced an additional $51 million to advance construction plans for 69 settlements and settlement outposts across the West Bank.
Moayad Shaaban, head of the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said Israel has entered a phase of “intensive implementation” of its settlement project, describing the latest measures as part of a broader effort to reshape the geography of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Shaaban noted that since taking office in late 2022, the Israeli government has approved 103 settlement sites, adding that the new funding is intended to complete infrastructure and services for 61 of them.
He warned that the significance of the decision lies not only in the scale of the funding but also in the government’s plans to bypass normal planning procedures through military orders and legal exemptions that would allow immediate construction under the label of “temporary projects.”
Around 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinian and international officials have repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion further fragments Palestinian territory and undermines prospects for a viable independent Palestinian state.
The United Nations and most countries consider Israeli settlements in occupied territory illegal under international law, a position rejected by Israel, which continues to expand its settlement presence in the West Bank.
Source:Websites
