Dangerous Project: Israel Redraws the West Bank Map with New Settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has significantly expanded the occupation’s footprint in the West Bank, escalating settlement activity at an unprecedented pace to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to a report by the Washington Post on Thursday, August 15, 2024.

The report highlighted that the Israeli government approved a “strategic confiscation” of land, nearly 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) this year alone, and the construction of major settlements. Additionally, the demolition of Palestinian properties has increased, and state support for illegally constructed settler outposts has grown. Collectively, these actions represent “the most significant regional changes in the West Bank in decades.”

On Wednesday, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that Israel had approved the construction of a new settlement in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed area of Battir, near Bethlehem in the West Bank.

Erasing Villages

In interviews across six Palestinian communities, residents described the crippling restrictions on daily life as settlements encroach, limiting their ability to move freely and access agricultural lands they have long relied on. According to the report, settler violence has led to the erasure of some villages.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, returned to office in December 2022 based on a coalition agreement that promised to “enhance and develop settlements throughout the Land of Israel,” including “Judea and Samaria,” the biblical names for the West Bank.

According to the report, the efforts to expand and cement Israeli control over the region are led by Smotrich, a long-time settlement activist who now serves as Finance Minister. Last year, Netanyahu also appointed him to a position within the Ministry of Defense, granting him extensive powers over Israeli policy in the West Bank.

The minister, who is a settler himself, wrote on the social media platform X, “We will continue to develop settlements to ensure Israel’s security and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

An estimated 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, alongside more than 500,000 settlers, whose numbers have increased by over 15% in the past five years.

Settler Outposts

The Israeli Supreme Planning Council has fully approved nearly 12,000 housing units in settlements over the past 19 months, compared to just over 8,000 units in the previous two years, according to the organization Peace Now. An increasing number of illegal outposts in the West Bank have been legalized under Israeli law, with the state seizing large tracts of land.

The settlement of Nahal Heletz, which received initial approval along with four other settlements last June, is situated between the Gush Etzion settlement bloc north of Hebron and the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem.

In recent months, Israeli forces closed a road leading to Battir, doubling the time it takes to reach Jerusalem, which is just 10 kilometers away.

According to Peace Now, the settlement will encircle homes in the Palestinian village of Battir, one of four UNESCO World Heritage sites in the West Bank.

Battir’s agricultural terraces are supported by dry-stone walls and ancient irrigation pools that collect water flowing from springs, with irrigation channels that are over 2,000 years old.

Last month, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories, dismantle existing settlements, and compensate Palestinians who lost their land and property. Although the ruling is symbolic, its practical impact is limited. Netanyahu quickly condemned the ruling.

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, since 1967, are considered illegal under international law, regardless of whether they have Israeli planning approval or not.