Its finance minister said Thursday that the Israeli government has approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Bezalel Smotrich, a supranationalist who ruled the right-wing coalition, has long advocated Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, and he wrote on social media platform X that the settlements would be located in the northern West Bank without the need for exact designated locations.
Israeli media quoted the Ministry of Defense as saying that in the new settlements, the existing “outpost” will be legalized under Israeli law and new settlements will be established.
A spokesman for Defense Minister Israel Katz did not respond to a text message asking for comment on the news.
The West supports the West Bank's Western Palestinian Authority, and Gaza-based Islamic militant group Hamas condemned Israel's decision.
Set to move Israel in a collision course with Canada
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said it was a “dangerous escalation” and accused Israel of continuing to drag the region into a “cycle of violence and instability.”
He told Reuters that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was urged to step in.
Palestinians believe that the expansion of settlements is their desire to establish independent states in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including the occupied East Jerusalem.
More and more European countries are demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, while Britain, France and Canada warn Israel this month that they may achieve target sanctions if Israel continues to expand reconciliation in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called for fire at the IDF's diplomatic delegation, including four Canadians. The trip is evaluating the humanitarian situation in the West Bank cities. Senior Canadian global affairs officials said embassy staff were shocked but were receiving support from the department.
The Israeli announcement sent the Netanyahu government to colliding course with Ottawa, which, along with France and Britain's allies last week, issued an unprecedented warning that Israel needs to stop its expansion of reconciliation in the West Bank, as well as its proposed Gideon's Chariots operation in Gaza, or facing Chariots operations in Gaza.
If Israel does not change its course, Canada's statement threatens unspecified “specific actions.” The announcement is the biggest extension of the biggest solution in years and could be seen as a direct challenge to Canada, France and the UK. The Prime Minister's Office told CBC News that it will respond.
Israeli groups criticize reconciliation extension
Hamish Falconer, the British Central and Eastern Minister, condemned Israel's recognition of the new settlement, calling it “a deliberate Palestinian national barrier.”
“Under international law, settlements are illegal, further endangering the two-state solution and not protecting Israel,” Falcona wrote on X.
Most international community considers settlements illegal. The Israeli government considers settlements legal under its own laws, and some “outposts” are illegal but often tolerated and sometimes later legalized.
Israel's leading human rights group B'Tselem accused the right-wing government of “advancing Jewish supremacy through theft of Palestinian land and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank”.
In a statement, B'tSelem also criticized the international community for “making Israel's crimes”.
The group representing military veterans broke the silence, saying the expansion of settlement was driven by the “extremist” ideology that captured more land at the expense of Palestinians and warned of legalizing outposts to reward violent settlers.
Commented as a “historic” expansion
The decision was praised by Yisrael Ganz, chairman of the Jesus Commission, which represented Jewish settlements and had close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ganz said the move opposed the bid for the Palestinian authorities to establish a state.
“This historic decision conveys a clear message – we are not only going to stay, but here to build the state of Israel for all residents and strengthen its security,” he said.
Of the 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, about 700,000 Israeli settlers lived in Israeli territory occupied from Jordan during the 1967 war. Later, Israel annexed East Jerusalem, a move that was not recognized by most countries but did not formally expand sovereignty over the West Bank.
Settlement activities in the West Bank have accelerated sharply since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, and it has been 20 months now.
Israel has also carried out military operations against Palestinian militants in the West Bank, and settler attacks on Palestinian residents have also increased.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Thursday's decision was “part of Netanyahu's war led by the Palestinian people”. He urged the United States and the European Union to respond to Israel's announcement by taking action.
