Smotrich promotes approval of 7,000 West Bank settlement units

Israeli media outlets revealed that members of the Settlement Directorate formed by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are currently calling for a meeting of the Civil Administration’s Supreme Planning Committee, associated with the Israeli army. The top issue on its agenda is approving the construction of 7,000 new settlement units in West Bank settlements.

Israel’s Ynet reported that setting a date for the committee’s meeting requires approval by the political level in Israel, which has not yet occurred. However, planning has already started regarding the approvals to be granted.

According to estimates, the approval of 7,000 new settlement units in the settlements will be accelerated at this stage, including more than 2,000 settlement units guaranteed for approval.

The website noted that settlement construction is being promoted against the backdrop of the major US plan, which also addresses the Palestinian issue, among other matters.

Ynet disclosed that the composition of the Israeli government changed after the war, and ministers from the State Camp party joined the government, so it is not clear how the government will respond to the plan, given the ongoing war in Gaza. Meanwhile, thousands of settlers in the north and south have not yet returned to their homes.

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The website stated that those who determine the scope and location of construction are members of the administration established by Smotrich in cooperation with the heads of settlements in the West Bank and security officials after the war.

The leftist Israeli anti-settlement movement Peace Now estimates that more than 700,000 settlers reside in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Since the formation of the current Israeli government a year ago by Benjamin Netanyahu, which is a coalition comprising extremist right-wing parties, settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories have escalated.

The United Nations considers Israeli settlement illegal and calls in vain for its cessation, warning that it undermines the chances of addressing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the principle of a two-state solution.