Government does not approve the establishment of 22 new West Bank settlements
The decision includes planning for renewal of settlement activities in northern Samaritan and the development of new communities along the Jordan Valley border.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the government announced that it had approved the establishment of 22 new settlements in the West Bank as part of a joint initiative by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The decision includes planning for renewal of settlement activities in northern Samaritan and the development of new communities along the Jordan Valley border.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the move follows the abolition of disengagement laws in specific areas, thus re-engaging in activities in Homesh and Sa-nur. The plan aims to expand settlement infrastructure and strengthen strategic position throughout the region.
The plan includes the return of residential activities to previously evacuated areas and the creation of four new settlements along the eastern border near Jordan.
The Ministry of Defense said these developments are designed to strengthen Israeli control along key territorial corridors and align with broader government plans to support population growth and land use in designated areas.
Elon Moreh, near Nablus, the West Bank, settled on June 11, 2020 (Photo source: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Katz and Smotrich praise the development of 22 new West Bank settlements
Defense Minister Katz said the decision supports Israel’s regional positioning and reconciliation framework:
“The decision to establish 22 new settlements at the Western Bank strengthens our presence in the region and confirms our commitment to ensuring the security of Israel’s population centers,” Katz said. “This is a step towards strengthening our East Axis and addressing ongoing security challenges.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the move represents a shift in government policy towards an expanded development:
“With the support of the cabinet, we are advancing a program that focuses on architecture and long-term development,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure persistent existence and infrastructure growth in key areas.”
Religious Zionist Party (RZP) MK Orit Strock commented on a post on X/Twitter, saying: “We made a commitment and we kept it going. New environments have been established in Judea and Samaria, decades of gaps between Jews and Samaria, and in the treatment of the land, responding to Zionist's Zionist's Zionism to the spacious space that has been neglected and abandoned.”
“Through our actions, we express our right to and responsibility for the land. We continue to correct the sin of disengagement.”
