JAKARTA - The Israeli Security Cabinet approved the construction of new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday, bringing the number of settlements allowed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to 104 since 2022.
In a post on the social media X Smotrich said the Cabinet had approved his proposal to establish a new settlement near the Sanur settlement in the northern West Bank, reported Anadolu (16/7).
The leader of this right-wing Religious Zionism party said that this latest decision increases the number of illegal settlements approved by the current government to 104 since the government took office at the end of 2022.
Smotrich described the move as part of a "historic revolution" in the occupied West Bank, claiming it would prevent the formation of a Palestinian state.
"One hundred and four settlements and more than 160 farms will form a defensive wall" for several Israeli cities, he said.
The announcement comes amid an acceleration of Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank ahead of Israel's general election scheduled for October 27.
On Tuesday, Israeli media reported that the Security Cabinet had secretly approved plans in March 2026 to establish 34 new illegal settlements throughout the occupied West Bank.
The UN has repeatedly stressed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law, and warned that they undermine the prospects of a two-state solution.
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