AhlulBayt News Agency: Israel’s decision to allocate $810 million over five years for the creation of 17 new settlements and the expansion of existing ones in the occupied West Bank has sparked widespread condemnation from Palestinian leaders, Arab states, the United Nations, the European Union, and several Western governments, who denounced the move as a violation of international law and a blow to peace efforts.
On Monday, the Israeli regime advanced its aggressive plans to seize more Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
Far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that NIS 2.7 billion ($810 million) will be dedicated to establishing 17 new settlements over the next five years, calling it the largest single investment in settlement expansion in decades.
The plan distributes funds across newly approved settlements, recently authorized ones, and dozens of existing communities and outposts currently undergoing legalization.
Palestinian officials condemned the plan as “ethnic cleansing by other means.” Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the decision is “a dangerous escalation that destroys any chance for peace and directly challenges international legitimacy.”
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged immediate sanctions against Israel, while Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad pledged to resist “continued aggression against the Palestinian people.”
Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia issued strong statements within hours of the announcement. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry called the plan a “flagrant violation of international law” that undermines the two-state solution.
Saudi Arabia denounced “Israel’s persistent violations,” while Egypt warned that the move “threatens to further inflame the entire region.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, declared that the settlement expansion “seriously undermines the prospects for a viable two-state solution and is contrary to international law.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc “strongly condemns” the decision and is considering “appropriate measures” in response. France, Germany, and the UK jointly labeled the plan a “grave breach” of international law.
The United States, via a State Department spokesman, said it is “deeply troubled” by the announcement, stressing that settlement expansion “is inconsistent with international law and complicates efforts toward a two-state solution.”
Israeli anti-occupation group Peace Now described the funding package as “the largest government investment in settlements since the Oslo Accords – effectively a death blow to the two-state solution.”
Amnesty International accused Israel of “further entrenching its apartheid regime,” while Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem warned of de facto annexation.
Israeli sources reported that part of the money will go to building new settlements, while another portion will be allocated to recently approved ones.
The remaining funds will support nearly 40 settlements and outposts already in place, covering infrastructure such as water, sewage, electricity, and public buildings like synagogues and community centers, aimed at consolidating settler presence across the West Bank.
The regime also plans to build “absorption clusters” in new settlements to allow families to move in and establish initial populations.
The plan includes relocating three military bases to Palestinian areas in the northern West Bank, from which the Israeli army had previously withdrawn under the Oslo Accords.
Another component involves moving three Israeli occupation force bases to areas in the northern West Bank vacated during the 1990s Oslo Accords.
Minister Smotrich, who also oversees civil administration in the West Bank, described the initiative as a strategic step to “strengthen Jewish presence” across the territory.
Palestinian officials and international human rights groups condemned the move as a major escalation of settlement activity, stressing that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.
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