Tel Aviv, April 9, (dpa/GNA) – Israel has approved the establishment of 34 settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media reports on Thursday.
The decision includes the construction of new settlements, and the legalization of previously unauthorized outposts, according to The Times of Israel newspaper. The report said Israel’s security Cabinet, approved the move two weeks ago.
The news site ynet reported, citing officials, that the announcement was kept secret during the war with Iran, at the request of the United States.
According to the report, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned against the move due to a shortage of soldiers, saying additional settlements would require more troops to provide security.
The Israeli organization Peace Now criticized the decision, saying expanding settlements would strain the military and undermine prospects for peace. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, also condemned the move.
Israeli media reported that the number of settlements newly built or retroactively legalized under the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since late 2022 has now exceeded 100.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem among other territories in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Today, around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in separate communities in the territory, which is also home to 3 million Palestinians.
The Palestinians claim the territories for their own state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal under international law, and a major obstacle to a two-state solution, in which Israel and an independent Palestinian state would exist side by side.
Israel’s government rejects that position.
GNA