Israel approves 19 more settlements in West Bank

Israel has created another major obstacle to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. The country has approved the establishment of 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, ignoring international law. Israel's hard-right politician and current Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, confirmed this information to the BBC.

Smotrich said that he had raised a proposal in this regard with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and it was officially approved yesterday. According to analysts, the decision will deepen the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and deal a major blow to the peace process.

According to international law, any settlement by Israel in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal. Yet Israel has been gradually occupying Palestinian territory, ignoring this law for a long time. International observers believe that the approval of these 19 new settlements is part of the continuous expansion of the occupation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly criticized Israel's decision. In a statement, he said that the continuous expansion of Israel's occupation activities in the West Bank is increasing tensions in the Middle East on the one hand, and on the other hand, it seriously threatens the formation of the proposed Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, one of the most influential countries in the Muslim world, has also strongly condemned the decision. The country said that such a move will further weaken the prospects for regional stability and peace.

Incidentally, the pace of settlement construction in the West Bank has increased significantly in the past few years under the leadership of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the almost three years since the formation of the government in late 2022, the number of Jewish homes or settlements in the West Bank has increased from 128 to 178. That is, the settlement rate has increased by about 40 percent during Netanyahu's tenure.

This figure is before the approval of the 19 new settlements. If the recent decision goes into effect, the number of new Israeli settlements approved in the West Bank in the past three years will increase significantly. In an interview with the BBC, Smotrich also said that the Netanyahu-led government is moving forward with a plan to completely “bury” the idea of ​​establishing a Palestinian state.

According to Peace Now, an Israeli organization that opposes settlements in Palestinian territory, there are currently about 160 illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These settlements are home to an estimated 700,000 Israeli citizens. It is feared that this number will increase further as a result of the approval of new settlements, which could prolong and complicate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.