Israel’s security cabinet has approved a budget of $434 million for establishing 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move is expected to add to tensions over territory widely viewed as central to a potential Palestinian state.
Settlement Expansion
Right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has long opposed Palestinian statehood, announced the decision, calling it a “day of celebration for Israel and settlements”. The planned settlements would bring the total established under his four-year tenure to 103.
Smotrich also stated that another $1.075 billion would be approved to pave roads to the new settlements. The decision has been met with criticism from U.N. bodies, Palestinians, and most countries, who view the settlements as illegal under international conventions.
The West Bank is home to approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers and 2.7 million Palestinians. Israel has not extended sovereignty to the occupied West Bank, while refuting international objections to the settlements and arguing that it is a disputed territory where Jews have lived for thousands of years.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
