Israel's Cabinet approves 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By MELANIE LIDMAN
Updated 9:11 AM CST, December 21, 2025
Leer en español

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s Cabinet has approved a proposal for 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, the far-right finance minister said Sunday, as the government pushes ahead with a construction binge in the territory that further threatens the possibility of a Palestinian state.

That brings the total number of new settlements over the past few years to 69, a new record, according to Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who has pushed a settlement expansion agenda in the West Bank. The latest ones include two that were previously evacuated during a 2005 disengagement plan.

The approval increases the number of settlements in the West Bank by nearly 50% during the current far-right government’s tenure. In 2022, there were 141 settlements across the West Bank. After the latest approval, there are 210, according to Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group.

Settlements are widely considered illegal under international law.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-settlements-west-bank-6923448a5956ff4d90b240d871db33e6

[iemanja]

1. Hamas made them do it.

Disgusting land grab.

[Exp]

2. This. eom

[questionseverything]

8. You are being sarcastic, right?

[iemanja]

9. yes

[Orrex]

14. Well, it's not as though all those civilians Bibi murdered can use the land, amirite?

[Martin68]

3. Using a terrorist act to excuse a land grab for illegal settlements on Palestinian land. Shame.

[patphil]

4. It's always been about ethnic cleansing.

Keep building new settlements, and letting Israeli terrorists drive Palestinians out to make room for more settlements.
Eventually Israel achieves it's "from the river to the sea" dream.
They won't be satisfied until they have it all, and without a Palestinian in sight.
Sorry to be so harsh, but this is the reality of it.

[Bayard]

5. Agreed

This is not Israeli land! It would be like trump sending settlers to Mexico or Canada, and killing any of those citizens who got in the way..

[slightlv]

6. This isn't Israeli land... and kicking people off their land is NEVER going to go over well...

not in the place of violence, nor with the international community. I can't believe Israel, as a government (at least) has lost its way so badly. All they do is create more violence for the future. It's almost as tho they don't WANT the violence and killing to end... perhaps its the only way (like trump) they see of staying in power.

[moonscape]

10. Who will stop them? Nobody.

[slightlv]

12. True, that... also true there will be innumerable more wars

and people dying. It's all so stupid. My head hurts.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. When will they approve new settlements in the Gaza Strip?

I mean, as long as we're taking land ...

[Aussie105]

11. Self-righteous indignation, the need for revenge, the need to punish . . .

And above all, mistrust of the 'other'.
Seems to be a trademark and mindset of some.

Not talking about the Middle East there, just my observations on the responses to the Bondi beach incident a week ago, here in Australia.

The rage comes from the Jewish people and many politicians here in Australia.

And yet the Jewish community here is strangely silent on the much worse atrocities happening daily in Gaza.
Do they approve perhaps?
Violence over there is fine, but not on Australian soil?

What is worse, there is only blaming and thoughts of punitive retribution in peoples' minds.
There is no analysis into the background or reasons why a father and son would take this drastic action.
The blanket term of Terrorism! covers it all. Or does it?

Anyhow - Israel's intention has always been land clearance and settlement spreading in territory that isn't supposed to be theirs.

[Lonestarblue]

13. Every one of these settlements is illegal under international law.

And they are accomplished by murdering— with impunity—the Palestinians who live there. How can Israel ever hope for peace when they repeatedly break the law and commit atrocious acts against Palestinians? Where is the accountability?

[electric_blue68]

15. Shame on this.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

16. This has the stench of Christianity written all over it: "I thirst--for your land!"

[fujiyamasan]

17. NYT has a great article on the settlement activity

It’s extensive and shows the maps. These communities are being systematically destroyed.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/20/world/middleeast/west-bank-settlements.html

I’ll post the archive link later if needed.

[Botany]

18. Israel and their American Christo Fascist supporters are enemies to peace in the Middle East.

N/t