Unprecedented Settlement Expansion in the West Bank… and Israeli Celebration

The occupied West Bank has seen an unprecedented expansion of settlements over the past year, amid fears that the far-right in the occupying state is paving the way for the official annexation of the West Bank and thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israeli anti-settlement organizations “Peace Now” and “Kerem Navot” reported that at least 49 new settlement outposts were established in the months following October 7, 2023, marking an increase of approximately 50% since the beginning of the war in Gaza.

The organization “B’Tselem” stated that entire Palestinian herding communities have been forced to migrate from rural areas due to the ongoing violence and attacks by settlers.

The Israeli NGO documented numerous incidents of settler violence over the recent months.

The organization pointed out that dozens of settlers stormed the village of Al-Minya in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, in mid-February, attacking homes, agricultural equipment, and even residents, while establishing a settlement outpost at the site.

By December of the previous year, both “Peace Now” and “Kerem Navot” estimated that the pastoral settlement outposts cover nearly 14% of the occupied West Bank.

Celebration by the Far-Right

The far-right in the occupying state is celebrating the significant settlement expansion in the West Bank. Finance Minister, extremist Bezalel Smotrich, stated, “We have broken an annual record for approving new settlement units in Gush Etzion.”

Gush Etzion is the largest settlement bloc, consisting of a group of Israeli settlements stretching from southwest Jerusalem to the Hebron Mountain, and parts of the Bethlehem Governorate in the occupied West Bank.

This settlement, along with others, has become one of the largest obstacles that the occupation has created and strengthened in recent years to hinder the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Its penetration into the West Bank prevents the possibility of geographical connectivity between Palestinian areas.