22 New Settlements: “Israel” Announces Biggest Expansion in West Bank

By Staff, Agencies

Far-right "Israeli" finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank.

“We have made a historic decision for the development of settlements: 22 new communities in 'Judea' and 'Samaria', renewing settlement in the north of 'Samaria', and reinforcing the eastern axis of 'Israel',” Smotrich said on X, using the "Israeli" terms for the occupied West Bank.

For his part, "Israeli" war minister Yisrael Katz said the expansion plan “changes the face of the region and shapes the future of settlement for years to come.”

In a statement on Telegram, the right-wing Likud party of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the move a “once-in-a-generation decision”, saying the initiative had been led by Smotrich and Katz.

The party published a map showing the 22 sites spread across the territory.

For its part, the Palestinian Hamas Resistance movement condemned the move as “further confirmation that the criminal Zionist occupation continues to impose facts on the ground by accelerating steps to Judaize Palestinian land within a clear annexation project".

“This is a blatant defiance of the international will and a grave violation of international law and United Nations resolutions,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.

“We call on the international community to take practical measures to confront the policies of annexation and settlement expansion, which constitute a war crime,” Hamas noted.

Similarly, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement denounced it as part of a colonial scheme to completely annex the West Bank, displace the Palestinian residents, and fulfill Talmudic dreams by imposing an apartheid regime and committing ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.

The movement also pointed to the international community's inability to stop the carnage in Gaza and even deliver humanitarian aid, adding that “These actions represent a sharp slap in the face to anyone who is still committed to the reconciliation process or international pressure."

"The only effective option to confront these plans is resistance, especially armed resistance, because defending the land, rights, and sanctities is a legitimate and necessary right for the Palestinian people," it affirmed.