The anti-settlement organization Peace Now reported on June 10 that the Israeli government has set aside 152 million shekels ($51 million) to prepare construction plans for 69 settlements and illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank. This is the first installment of a proposed 1.15 billion shekel ($388 million) package to expand settlements.
According to Peace Now, the Israeli cabinet subsequently postponed a decision on the remaining 1 billion shekel ($338 million) allocation. The sum is expected to be reviewed by the Security Council next Sunday. If passed, it would represent one of the largest expansions of illegal settlements in decades.
The organization accused the Israeli government of intent to bypass planning and construction regulations, as the plan permits infrastructure and public works to proceed in settlements without completing legally required planning procedures.
Peace Now stated: “October 7 proved that the right-wing approach has failed: conflict cannot be 'managed' and Palestinians cannot be 'defeated'. Israel must reach a political solution and a diplomatic agreement, but instead, the government is only pushing us deeper into the quagmire and committing us to more years of bloody conflict.”
Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law. This week, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, and Norway imposed sanctions on networks involved in funding, supporting, and carrying out settler violence against Palestinians.
According to Peace Now, the current Israeli government has approved 103 settlements since taking office in December 2022, of which 51 are entirely new. Meanwhile, Amnesty International released a report on June 9 accusing the Israeli government of playing a central role in ethnic cleansing actions against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 117 villages in the West Bank have been fully or partially displaced due to settler attacks. Amnesty also condemned the upcoming “Great Israel Real Estate Event” scheduled for London next Sunday, which aims to promote real estate sales in West Bank settlements.
