Israel Approves Nearly 800 New Illegal Settlement Homes in Occupied West Bank

Israel has granted final approval for the construction of 764 housing units in three settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The move has been condemned by Palestine as undermining regional peace efforts. Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, stated that since the beginning of his term in late 2022, over 51,370 housing units have been approved by the government's Higher Planning Council in the West Bank, territory Palestinians seek for a future state. Palestinian state news agency WAFA urged US President Donald Trump's administration to pressure Israel over its settlement policies, calling for a reversal of annexation attempts and adherence to international law. Most world powers consider Israel's settlements in the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 war, illegal, and numerous UN Security Council resolutions have called for a halt to such activities. Israeli settlement construction has surged since Benjamin Netanyahu’s government took power in late 2022, with over 700,000 illegal settlers now living in the West Bank, including around 250,000 in East Jerusalem. Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have also increased, with at least 264 incidents reported in October, the highest monthly total since the UN began tracking such events in 2006.