Israel approves 13 new West Bank settlements as expansion push accelerates

Israel has approved 13 new settlements in the central occupied West Bank, according to the latest reporting on a fast-moving expansion drive. The move comes as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the policy as a "revolution in settlement" expansion. The approvals are set to affect strategically important areas along Route 60 and land stretching eastward toward the Jordan Valley.

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The settlements are described as being in the central West Bank, a corridor that links major Palestinian cities including Nablus, Ramallah and Bethlehem. Smotrich said the expansion would extend beyond the occupied West Bank into the Negev and Galilee, framing it as part of a wider policy shift. The cabinet approval follows a recent pattern of accelerated settlement activity and increased state support for the project.

Palestinian officials have warned that the new settlements will further isolate occupied East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. They say that would deepen the fragmentation of Palestinian territory and make the prospect of a two-state solution even harder to achieve. The reporting also says settlement expansion has coincided with a severe rise in demolitions and settler attacks on Palestinian communities.

The latest approvals matter because they target areas seen as strategically significant for territorial continuity and future borders. Route 60 is a key north-south artery through the West Bank, and expansion toward the Jordan Valley could strengthen Israeli control over a broad eastern belt of the territory. The developments are likely to intensify international concern because settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.

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The broader trend has accelerated since 2022, when Benjamin Netanyahu formed what has been described as Israel's most far-right government, including ministers closely linked to the settler movement. According to the reporting, state funding for settlement expansion has risen sharply, with new outposts increasing from an average of about eight a year between 2012 and 2022 to 32 in 2023, 62 in 2024 and 86 in 2025. The estimated scale of settlement presence is also large, with about 500,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 250,000 in occupied East Jerusalem.

What remains unclear is how quickly the newly approved settlements will be built and whether further approvals will follow. It is also not clear how Palestinian authorities or international governments will respond in practical terms. The next developments to watch are any implementation steps, possible legal or diplomatic challenges, and whether the pace of settlement expansion continues to rise.

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