Israel allocates $434 million for 34 new West Bank settlements
The plan includes 12,000 new housing units and major infrastructure work as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls it a historic step.
- On Tuesday, Israel's security cabinet approved 1.3 billion shekels for 34 new settlements in the West Bank, part of an 8.5 billion-shekel framework to construct 12,000 new housing units.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party, called the decision a "day of celebration for Israel and settlements," stating the expansion aims at "killing the idea of establishing a terrorist state."
- The government allocated an additional 1.075 billion shekels to pave roads to the settlements; Channel 14 described the agreement as a "giant" step aimed at "changing the face of the region."
- Amid a rise in settler violence in recent months, about 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem; the UN warns settlements undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
- International bodies and most countries view the settlements as illegal—a stance Israel disputes—while opinion polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may lose the October 27 legislative election.
30 Articles
30 Articles
The Minister of Finance of the Hebrew State, Bezalel Smotrich, promised the construction of approximately 12,000 new housing units in these settlements, all illegal under international law.
Israel approves over $400m to fund 34 settlements in occupied West Bank
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Israeli occupation commits billions to expand illegal settlements across the West Bank
The pace of settlement advancement in the occupied West Bank is unprecedented. Bezalel Smotrich – finance minister and illegal settler – has long opposed the creation of a Palestinian state. He has now not only called for the complete conquest of the Gaza Strip, but is also promising a settlement “revolution”. Expansion of settlements will […] By Charlie Jaay
Israel steps up West Bank annexation drive
The security cabinet has approved more than $400 million for 34 new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory Israel has approved more than $400 million to establish dozens of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite international condemnation of what critics describe as the de facto annexation of Palestinian territory. The West Bank, which...
Gaza. Israel approved a budget of $434 million to build 34 new illegal settlements in the reoccupied West Bank, in the midst of its ongoing expansion project that has forced the forced displacement of 36,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations (UN), reported the Middle East Eye news site; at the same time, Hamas called the Israeli government’s “Judaization” plan to build 12,000 homes in the region “dangerous and criminal.”
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