Israel Plans 1,000 New Settlement Units in Occupied West Bank

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced plans to establish 1,000 new settler housing units in the northern occupied West Bank, just a day after 12 European countries declared plans to impose trade restrictions on products originating from illegal Israeli settlements. Smotrich said on Wednesday that Israeli authorities had seized 1,665 dunams of Palestinian land and annexed it to the Kida and Havat settlements for the planned construction.

Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, described the move as another major step in what he called the “settlement revolution.” He said authorities were advancing procedures to legalize the two settlements, which were established in 2003 and 2001 respectively. The announcement came after the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden said they would pursue trade restrictions targeting products sourced from Israeli settlements.

Palestinian figures estimate that around 750,000 Israeli settlers live across 156 settlements and 360 outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, with settler violence frequently reported against Palestinians. The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions, while the UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions opposing settlement expansion. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and called for an end to the occupation and the evacuation of settlers.