Israel announces 22 new settlements in occupied West Bank despite sanctions threat

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: May 29, 2025 12:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Israel's authorities has approved 22 caller Jewish settlements successful the occupied West Bank, its concern curate said connected Thursday, a determination condemned by Israeli quality rights groups that whitethorn strain ties with cardinal allies that person threatened sanctions.

Bezalel Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the ruling right-wing coalition who has agelong advocated for Israeli sovereignty implicit the West Bank, wrote connected societal media level X that the settlements would beryllium located successful the bluish West Bank, without specifying exactly where.

Israeli media cited the Defence Ministry arsenic saying that among the new settlements, existing "outposts" would beryllium legalized under Israeli law and caller settlements would besides beryllium built.

A spokesperson for Defence Minister Israel Katz did not respond to a substance connection seeking remark connected the announcement.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises constricted regularisation successful the West Bank, and the largely Gaza-based Islamist militant radical Hamas condemned the Israeli decision.

Move sets Israel connected collision people with Canada

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said it was a "dangerous escalation," accusing Israel of continuing to resistance the portion into a "cycle of unit and instability."

"This extremist Israeli authorities is trying by each means to forestall the constitution of an autarkic Palestinian state," helium told Reuters, urging U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to intervene.

Palestinians respect the enlargement of settlements arsenic a hindrance to their aspirations to make an autarkic authorities successful the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

There is a growing list of European countries demanding that Israel extremity the war in Gaza, portion Britain, France and Canada warned Israel this period that they could enforce targeted sanctions if Israel continued to broaden colony successful the West Bank.

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The Israeli announcement sets the Netanyahu authorities connected a collision people with Ottawa, which unneurotic with allies successful France and Britain past week issued an unprecedented informing that Israel needed to halt colony enlargement successful the West Bank, arsenic good arsenic its projected Gideon's Chariots cognition successful Gaza, oregon look sanctions.

Canada's connection threatened unspecified "concrete actions" if Israel did not alteration course. This announcement, the biggest colony enlargement successful galore years, volition apt beryllium seen arsenic a nonstop situation to Canada, France and Britain. The Prime Minister's Office successful Canada told CBC News it volition beryllium responding.

Israeli groups knock colony expansion

Britain's Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, condemned Israel's support of caller settlements, calling it a "deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood."

"Settlements are amerciable nether planetary law, further imperil the two-state solution, and bash not support Israel," Falconer wrote connected X.

Most of the planetary assemblage considers the settlements illegal. The Israeli authorities deems settlements ineligible nether its ain laws, portion immoderate "outposts" are amerciable but often tolerated and sometimes aboriginal legalized.

B'Tselem, a starring Israeli quality rights organization, accused the right-wing authorities of advancing "Jewish supremacy done the theft of Palestinian onshore and the taste cleansing of the West Bank."

In a statement, B'Tselem besides criticized the planetary assemblage for "enabling Israel's crimes."

Breaking the Silence, a radical representing subject veterans, said colony enlargement was driven by "extremist" ideology, seizing much onshore astatine the disbursal of Palestinians, and warned that legitimizing outposts rewarded convulsive settlers.

Expansion praised arsenic 'historic'

The determination was praised by Yisrael Ganz, president of the Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlements and has adjacent ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ganz said the determination countered the Palestinian Authority's bid to found a state.

"This historical determination sends a wide connection — we are present not lone to enactment but to found the State of Israel present for each its residents and to fortify its security," helium said.

About 700,000 Israeli settlers unrecorded among 2.7 cardinal Palestinians successful the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured from Jordan successful the 1967 war. Israel aboriginal annexed East Jerusalem, a determination not recognized by astir countries, but it has not formally extended sovereignty implicit the West Bank.

Settlement enactment successful the West Bank has accelerated sharply since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, present successful its 20th month.

Israel has besides stepped up subject operations against Palestinian militants successful the West Bank, and settler attacks connected Palestinian residents person increased.

Hamas authoritative Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Thursday's determination was portion of "the warfare led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people." He urged the United States and European Union to respond to Israel's announcement by taking action.