Zionist regime allocates $830 million to settlement expansion in West Bank

Far-right Zionist regime’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Monday that he has earmarked over $830 for the establishment of 17 new settlements in the occupied West Bank over the next five years.

The scheme involves relocating military bases of the occupation army to the northern West Bank, building infrastructure for dozens of new settlements, opening bypass roads, and strengthening security systems to shield settlers.

It also proposes the creation of "absorption centers" by installing dozens of caravans to accommodate new settlers, alongside financial grants reaching up to $100 million to support these settlements, $130 million for upgrading existing settlement infrastructure, and $100 million for regional and local councils in West Bank.

Additionally, $40 million has been allocated for constructing new army roads, and $50 million for modernizing armored buses over three years, with further budgets dedicated to tightening control through cameras, smart fences, and monitoring equipment.

Following the onset of Zionist regime’s genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Zionist authorities reviewed approximately 355 master plans for the construction of 37,415 settlement units across 38,551 dunams (39 square kilometers) of Palestinian land. Out of these, 18,801 units have been approved, while 18,614 remain under review.

More than 700,000 Zionist settlers currently reside in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

The international community regards these settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions due to their construction on occupied Palestinian territories.

Both the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council have repeatedly condemned Israel’s settlement activities in numerous resolutions.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s decades-long occupation of historical Palestine is illegal and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds.

Since October 7, 2023, Zionist regime has martyred more than 1,085 Palestinians and injured over 10,700 through attacks by its army and illegal settlers across the occupied West Bank. Additionally, more than 20,500 Palestinians have been abducted by Israeli forces.