Israel Plans 22 New Settlements in West Bank

‘We have not taken a foreign land, but rather the inheritance of our forefathers,’ Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.

Israeli security forces deployed at the site of a shooting attack in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, on Aug. 1, 2023. Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo

Israel approved plans on May 29 for 22 settlements in the West Bank, including the legalization of existing outposts, according to Israeli media citing the Ministry of Defense.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said it was “a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.”