Israel approves construction of 126 illegal settler units in occupied West Bank
Israeli authorities have approved construction of 126 new illegal settler units in the northern side of the West Bank, defying international outcry over illegal settlement expansion and land grab activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The so-called Higher Planning Council, affiliated with the Civil Administration, sanctioned a comprehensive plan on Wednesday, allowing illegal settlers to return to the Sa-Nur settlement outpost, according to Israeli media outlets.
Channel 7 reported that the plan is expected to be implemented within approximately two months, allowing settlers to resettle in Sa-Nur.
Sa-Nur was vacated in 2005 as part of Israel’s unilateral disengagement plan. The plan involved the removal of Israeli settlements and military installations from the Gaza Strip, along with four outposts in the northern West Bank.
In March 2024, the Knesset approved new legislation known as the “Cancellation of the Disengagement Law,” effectively repealing the disengagement law.
On December 23, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich directed the so-called High Planning Council to meet and deliberate on the approval of 126 settler units.
Israel’s high court advances the forced displacement of Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
According to the public broadcaster KAN, he described the decision as a way to address what he referred to as a “historic injustice” and as a step forward in realizing the Zionist vision on the ground.
The latest decision reflects a rapidly growing trend of settlement construction initiatives. According to official data and reports from research institutions, thousands of settlement units have received authorization throughout the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds.
This expansion highlights a deliberate Israeli strategy aimed at accelerating settlement development by bypassing security and civil approval barriers and simplifying construction processes. It is part of a larger initiative to strengthen Israeli authority over Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
After the launch of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israeli authorities examined around 355 master plans for the development of 37,415 settlement units across 38,551 dunams (39 square kilometers) of Palestinian land. Among these, approval has been granted for 18,801 units, while the remaining 18,614 are still undergoing review.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The international community views the settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions due to their construction on occupied territories.
The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in several resolutions.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal. The ICJ demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds.
