Israel's security cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, bringing the total number approved over the past three years to 69, an official statement said on Sunday.
"The proposal by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz to declare and formalise 19 new settlements in Judea and Samaria has been approved by the cabinet," a statement from Smotrich's office said, without specifying when the decision was taken.
"On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state. We will continue to develop, build, and settle the land of our ancestral heritage, with faith in the justice of our path," Smotrich said in the statement.
Around 750,000 illegal settlers live in Palestinian lands
Earlier, Smotrich approved a plan to establish a new illegal Jewish settlement with 3,600 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem.
The “Mishmar Yehuda” settlement will be built on 3,380 dunams (835 acres) of land in the eastern part of the city, according to Channel 7.
Smotrich announced on US social media platform X that the settlement will serve as “a strategic base to protect Jerusalem from the east” and is part of Israel’s policy to reinforce control over the area.
While the new settlement violates international law, Smotrich argued it would “provide tens of thousands of housing units” and “strengthen the eastern perimeter of Jerusalem.”
He said the “historic” plan would help solidify Israeli sovereignty and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli Cabinet also approved the establishment of 19 illegal settlements in the West Bank on Dec. 12, further escalating annexation measures.
The Israeli left-wing group Peace Now said about 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements across the occupied West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in occupied East Jerusalem.
