Israel approves 764 illegal West Bank settler units amid rising violence against Palestinians
Israel has given final approval for 764 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank, escalating tensions as settler attacks against Palestinians have surged in recent weeks.
The announcement came on Wednesday from Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who described the construction as part of a “strategic process of strengthening the settlements and ensuring continuity of life, security, and growth.”
Since assuming office in late 2022, Smotrich said, the Israeli regime has approved more than 51,000 housing units in the occupied territories.
The move drew immediate condemnation from Palestinian officials and the international community, with Wasel Abu Yousef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, saying, “All the settlements are illegal…and they are contrary to all the resolutions of international legitimacy.”
Most countries of the world consider Israeli settlements on occupied land, illegal under international law, citing numerous UN Security Council resolutions, and have also called for an immediate halt to settlement activity.
These expansions come amid a sharp rise in settler violence across the occupied West Bank. According to UN reports, at least 264 incidents targeting Palestinians in the West Bank were recorded in October alone—the highest monthly total since the UN began tracking such incidents in 2006.
The attacks include assaults by settlers and raids by the Israeli military, which have surged since Israel launched its genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023.
The violence intensified during the Palestinian olive harvest in October and early November.
Human rights monitors warn that Palestinians face growing threats to life, displacement, and violence, as settlement expansion and military operations continue to destabilize the region.
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