The Security Cabinet has approved the establishment of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, including the reestablishment of previously evacuated settlements and new communities along the Jordan border, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Thursday.
The decision, described by the ministers as "historic" and “once-in-a-generation,” was made in secret last week and publicized earlier this week. It includes the reestablishment of the settlements of Homesh and Sa-Nur, evacuated in 2005, and four new settlements along Israel’s eastern border with Jordan. Officials said the move aims to strengthen Israel’s strategic control of the area, prevent the creation of a Palestinian state and secure settlement expansion for decades.
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Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
(Photo: Defense Ministry)
“This historic decision to establish 22 new settlements in the West Bank strengthens our hold on this land, anchors our historical right to the Land of Israel and provides a decisive response to Palestinian terror,” Katz said. “Jewish settlement in the West Bank provides a vital defensive shield for Israel's major population centers and we must do everything to expand and strengthen this shield.”
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Smotrich called it a transformational step, saying, “This is a great day for settlement and the State of Israel. With hard work and determined leadership, we created a deep strategic shift, bringing Israel back to building, Zionism and vision. The next step—sovereignty,” referring to longstanding ambitions of the settler movement to officially annex West Bank territories.
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Lawmakers visit the site on which the settlement of Homesh once stood in the northern West Bank
(Photo:Samaria Regional Council)
The Cabinet also approved measures to resume Israel’s official land registration process in the West Bank, specifically targeting Area C, while halting the Palestinian Authority’s unauthorized land registration efforts.
The government declared that Palestinian land registration in Area C lacks legal authority and will not be recognized in Israel. Security forces have been instructed to prevent further Palestinian registration efforts, block foreign aid supporting these activities and demand that the Palestinian Authority cease its initiatives.