Israel recognises status of 19 new settlements in Judea, Samaria

Israel’s security and political cabinet has approved the proposal of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz to recognise and regularise the status of 19 new settlements in Judea and Samaria, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

These concern strategically important locations for Israel’s presence in the region. Among the key decisions is the restoration of the Ganim and Kadim settlements in northern Samaria, which were evacuated about 20 years ago as part of the disengagement program.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the move is aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. It comes days after the UN said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank had reached its highest level since at least 2017.

The latest approvals come days after the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank – all of which are considered illegal under international law – had reached its highest level since at least 2017.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has recently condemned what he described as Israel's "relentless" expansion of settlements in the occupied territory. It "continues to fuel tensions, impede access by Palestinians to their land and threaten the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State." he said earlier this month.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state have proliferated, with several European countries, Canada and Australia recently moving to formally recognise such a state, drawing rebukes from Israel.

By Khagan Isayev