Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has pledged to continue expanding settlements in the West Bank, defying international pressure on Israel to halt construction on land considered by Palestinians as the nucleus of their future state. Smotrich announced late Tuesday the approval for a new settlement called Mishmar Yehuda in Gush Etzion, a cluster of Jewish settlements located south of Jerusalem, stating that Israel will continue to permit the construction of more settlements. He said in a statement, "We will continue the momentum of settlement throughout the country."
This move comes just days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington views the Jewish settlements in the West Bank as incompatible with international law, marking a return to the long-standing U.S. position that had been deviated from during former President Donald Trump's administration. The Trump administration supported Israel’s 2019 building of settlements in the West Bank by abandoning the historic U.S. stance that deemed them "in violation of international law."
This change has brought the U.S. back to a position held by most of the world regarding the illegality of settlements built on land occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. Israel disputes this view, citing the historical and biblical connections of the Jewish people to the land. Palestinians argue that the expansion of settlements across the West Bank is part of a deliberate Israeli policy to undermine their aspirations for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Last week, Israeli ministers approved a planning council meeting to authorize the construction of approximately 3,300 homes in the settlements, a decision that Blinken said disappointed Washington, which is looking to revive efforts to end the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians through a two-state solution.
Smotrich, who leads one of the extreme right parties that supports settlers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, resides in a settlement and consistently advocates for building more settlements. Shlomo Neeman, head of the local council in Gush Etzion, stated, "This is also our response to the countries of the world. We will continue our way and strengthen Gush Etzion with more residents, more schools, more roads, and more kindergartens."
The Israeli organization Peace Now, which monitors settlement expansion, reported last month an unprecedented increase in settlement activities since the onset of the Gaza war in October. According to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, just under 700,000 settlers live in 279 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, compared to 520,000 in 2012.
