JERUSALEM — Israel’s security cabinet has given the green light to a budget of 1.3 billion shekels — roughly $434 million — to build 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Tuesday. The decision adds further strain to an already tense situation over land widely considered essential to any future Palestinian state.
The United Nations, Palestinian leaders, and the vast majority of nations around the world consider Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law — a position Israel disputes. Many also view the settlements as one of the biggest barriers to achieving lasting peace in the region.
Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism party and has long stood against the creation of a Palestinian state, draws significant political support from settler communities. His party is preparing to compete in an upcoming legislative election scheduled for October 27.
With these 34 settlements, the total number established during Smotrich’s four-year term in office would reach 103. He also announced that an additional 1.075 billion shekels would be allocated to build roads connecting the new communities. The funding plan had been referred to the security cabinet by government ministers the previous month.
Smotrich described the cabinet’s vote as a landmark moment and called it a “day of celebration for Israel and settlements,” expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his backing. Current opinion polls suggest Netanyahu could lose his position in the October election.
“We are strengthening the security of the State of Israel, killing the idea of establishing a terrorist state in the heart of the country, and strengthening our hold on the homeland in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich said in a written statement, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.
The announcement comes amid a recent surge in violence by settlers against Palestinians and their property in the region.
Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live alongside 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. While Israel has not formally claimed sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, it continues to push back against international criticism of the settlements, arguing that the territory is disputed land where Jewish people have had a presence for thousands of years.
