Israel unveils NIS 1.3 million budget for 34 new West Bank settlements in 'historic' move

The Knesset Security Cabinet, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, approved a NIS 1.3 million budget on Tuesday for 34 new Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This decision, following a budget approval in June, details plans for nine settlements in Samaria, seven in Binyamin, four in Hebron, seven in the Jordan Valley, six in Gush Etzion, and one in Megilot. This brings the total number of West Bank settlements under the current government to 103.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated, "We have made sure that... the establishment of new settlements in Judea and Samaria will not remain on paper, but will take shape and be implemented on the ground."

National Missions Minister Orit Strock called it an "historic" decision, emphasizing its unprecedented scale. Construction and Housing Minister Haim Katz added that the budget will facilitate development, neighborhoods, and infrastructure. Conversely, Anton Goodman of Rabbis for Human Rights criticized the project, claiming there is "no real demand in Israeli society for housing in the West Bank" and that these outposts are ideological, designed to take land with minimal settlers, impacting Palestinian communities.