Israel has authorized the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, escalating concerns among Palestinians about potential land confiscations. The decision, reportedly made in secret by the security cabinet on April 1, adds to the 68 settlements already approved since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government took office in 2022.
Notably, the approval has not been officially announced by any government agency. The defence ministry, responsible for overseeing settlements in the West Bank, declined to comment on the matter. A ministry spokesperson stated they were not addressing the issue.
reports, 10 of the 34 settlements are existing outposts that are currently illegal under Israeli law but will now be retroactively legalized. The remaining 24 settlements are planned for future construction. It is important to note that all settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
In the Palestinian village of Deir Ammar, residents expressed alarm that a settler outpost established on a nearby hilltop about a year ago could be among those legalized. The Palestinian Authority’s Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission published a list of the 34 settlements, identifying one called Ramatim Tzofim, which corresponds to the location of the outpost near Deir Ammar. Local residents have reportedly faced at least three attacks by settlers from this outpost.
Farmer Nael Mussa, whose chicken coop and farmhouse have been attacked multiple times, voiced his fears that the government’s decision would lead to further land seizures. “We are effectively finished. If this becomes a settlement, we will have no land left in Deir Ammar,” said the 54-year-old.
Similarly, Palestinian farmer Ismail Awdeh warned that the legalization would cause the settlement to expand, threatening the village’s agricultural land, which is considered its food basket. Residents also reported that settlers had placed rocks on a road used by farmers to access their fields near the outpost and had damaged an olive orchard.
Meanwhile, during the security cabinet meeting on April 1, military chief Eyal Zamir cautioned that the army might face collapse due to increasing manpower demands. This includes the responsibility to protect the newly legalized outposts, which will now have official settlement status.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Excluding East Jerusalem, over 500,000 Israelis currently reside in settlements there, alongside approximately three million Palestinians. Settlement expansion has been a consistent policy of successive Israeli governments since 1967 but has accelerated markedly under Netanyahu’s current coalition, considered one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
Human rights organizations report that approvals for new settlements, land seizures, and settler violence have intensified since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
