The Israeli security cabinet has formally approved the establishment and legalization of 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed the decision on Sunday, explicitly stating that the move is a strategic measure intended to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.
BREAKING: Israel’s Cabinet has approved a proposal for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, the far-right finance minister says. https://t.co/a1NCi3rRV8
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 21, 2025
The approved plan, proposed jointly by Finance Minister Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, brings the total number of settlements approved over the last three years to 69. The 19 newly authorized sites include:
- Strategic Re-establishments: The return to Ganim and Kadim in the northern West Bank, two sites that were dismantled two decades ago.
- Formalization of Outposts: The granting of legal status under Israeli law to five existing “wildcat” outposts that were previously unauthorized by the government.
- New Strategic Nodes: Sites located in what the Finance Ministry describes as “highly strategic” areas intended to ensure Israeli presence across “Judea and Samaria.”
In a statement released by his office, Minister Smotrich—a vocal proponent of the settler movement—framed the expansion as a barrier to Palestinian sovereignty. “On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state,” Smotrich said. “We will continue to develop, build, and settle the land of our ancestral heritage.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the “relentless” expansion, noting that settlement activity has reached its highest level since the UN began tracking the data in 2017.
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“These developments are further entrenching the unlawful Israeli occupation and violating international law,” Guterres stated. He warned that the continued growth of these colonies—all of which are illegal under international law—threatens the viability of a “fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State.”
The cabinet’s decision comes amid a sharp increase in West Bank violence since October 2023. According to health officials and military data:
- Over 1,027 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza conflict.
- At least 44 Israelis have been killed in the territory during the same period.
The move also follows warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently stated in an interview with Time magazine that Israel would risk losing U.S. support if it moved toward full annexation of the West Bank.
