Israeli occupation commits billions to expand illegal settlements across the West Bank

The pace of settlement advancement in the occupied West Bank is unprecedented. Bezalel Smotrich – finance minister and illegal settler – has long opposed the creation of a Palestinian state. He has now not only called for the complete conquest of the Gaza Strip, but is also promising a settlement “revolution”.

Expansion of settlements will further tighten the occupation’s control

The occupation is actively advancing major settlement and infrastructure projects across the occupied Palestinian territory. According to Peace Now, most of these new settlements are deep inside the West Bank, where there is very little or no Israeli occupation presence. This is how “Israel” tightens its grip on these areas, and how any chance of Palestinian development is prevented.

On 14 July 2026, Israeli occupation ministers celebrated a major new government investment, which they described as a “historic” moment for the settlement movement. It is aimed at accelerating the establishment and expansion of illegal “Israeli” settlements across the occupied West Bank.

The government announced the Security Cabinet had allocated 1.3 billion Shekels – approximately £324 million – in June to advance the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. This had been approved during the previous three and a half years.

Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock described it as a landmark step for the settlement movement. In statements, Strock said:

There has never been a Zionist-settlement decision of this size in the whole history of Zionism since it was founded.

Smotrich declared:

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.

Killing the idea of establishing a Palestinian state

Nine of these 34 settlements are planned for the Northern West Bank, seven in the Central region, four in the Hebron area, seven in the Jordan Valley, one in the Jericho region, and six in the Gush Etzion area – a settlement bloc located just south of Jerusalem.

The announcement also mentioned additional funding of 1.075 billion shekels for infrastructure projects, especially roads to connect the settlements. This decision is another step toward permanent “Israeli” control over occupied territory. And it is intended to destroy what is left of a future Palestinian state. This brings the number of settlements in the occupied West Bank, initiated under Smotrich’s four-year period in office, to 103.

The “Israeli” government has also signed a deal worth around 8.5 billion Shekels, or £2 billion. This includes plans for around 12,000 new housing units, plus related infrastructure, in the northern West Bank. The agreement was signed between the “Israeli” government and the so-called “Samaria Regional Council.” It also requires additional legal challenges if a new government wishes to stop settlement construction.

According to Peace Now, this agreement will result in “unbridled construction in the settlements”. It will also:

shackle the next government to commitments that will make it difficult to roll back this terrible government’s reckless policy.

Changing the face of the region

The Israeli occupation says it is aimed at “changing the face of the region.”

Israel has approved a $2.3 billion plan to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including 12,000 new housing units and major infrastructure projects pic.twitter.com/8ETmnT58D1

— TRT World (@trtworld) July 14, 2026

Earlier in July, the occupation’s Security Cabinet approved plans for 13 new settlements in the central West Bank.

The proposed locations for these settlements are along the vital Route 60 north-south main road, and will make up one of the largest settlement blocks in the territory. Palestinian officials warn they will sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank.

The Jerusalem governorate condemned the move, saying it marks “a dangerous escalation”, and aims to create “new geographical realities on the ground.”

Illegal settlement of Giv’at Ze’ev has become the fifth “Israeli” city in the occupied West Bank

Alongside the approval of these 13 settlements is a $350 million initiative that includes legalising and accelerating the development of dozens of previously unauthorized outposts. “Israeli “settler outposts now control nearly a fifth of the territory, and this is now set to increase even more.

In yet another move to strengthen and expand its illegal settlements, “Israel” has also just declared the Giv’at Ze’ev settlement a city. The settlement, which is northwest of Jerusalem, is home to more than 35,000 illegal settlers. It becomes the fifth recognised “Israeli” city inside the occupied West Bank.

The move follows an order signed by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) Central Command chief and war criminal Avi Bluth, whose actions in al-Mughayyir in August 2025 amounted to collective punishment.

The recent surge in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has been driven by a combination of factors. Since the return of Netanyahu’s government in late 2022, a coalition of pro-settler and religious-nationalist parties has expanded funding for settlements. It has also accelerated planning approvals, legalised previously unauthorized outposts, and invested heavily in roads and infrastructure linking settlements.

Historically, only the occupation’s military chain of command held authority over Area C. But now, Smotrich is the one in charge of the Settlement Administration and the Civil Administration. This structural shift transfers vast civilian, zoning, and construction oversight from the military to his direct ministerial control.

Settlement expansion will bring more violence and forcible displacement of Palestinians

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its civilian population into occupied territory.

In July 2024, a landmark opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal. It demanded the evacuation of all settlements and called on states not to support any situations that violate international law in occupied territory.

Expansion of settlements not only violates international law; it also reshapes the landscape, the politics, and the prospect of peace for generations of Palestinians.

Settlements entrench the occupation and fragment Palestinian territory. They also undermine the prospects of a future Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

A new illegal settlement for “Israeli” colonists requires not only roads, but electricity and water systems – and, of course, the occupation’s security and military. Over time, these settlements fragment Palestinian communities and entrench the occupation, while prospects of a future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital are undermined. In addition, an increase in the number of “Israeli” colonists also increases the systematic violence faced by Palestinians every single day in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Unprecedented levels of settler brutality

According to the UN:

settler brutality has reached unprecedented levels.

In 2026:

both fatalities and injuries are outpacing figures from previous years.

The sole purpose of this brutality is to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land and ethnically cleanse the occupied Palestinian territory.

As of 10 July, ”Israel” has forcibly displaced over 3,200 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank so far in 2026. That is an average of 17 people per day – double the daily rate over the previous three years. Settler attacks have been responsible for about 75 percent of these displacements.

More than 750,000 Jewish settlers live in these illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Featured image via the Canary