Israel's Security Cabinet has approved a plan to establish 13 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that Palestinian officials say will deepen territorial fragmentation and further isolate East Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian communities.
According to Israeli media, the settlements will be built in the Binyamin regional area along Route 60, a major highway linking Palestinian cities such as Nablus, Ramallah and Bethlehem, while also connecting Israeli settlements.
The first phase of the project is expected to begin in the coming months, with four to six settlements to be developed initially. Israeli authorities are also expected to legalise several existing settlement outposts, allowing them to receive government funding and infrastructure support.
Palestinian officials said the expansion is aimed at strengthening Israeli control over key areas of the West Bank and creating new geographical realities that could undermine the prospects of a contiguous Palestinian state. They described the move as a violation of international law and urged the international community to intervene.
The decision comes amid a sharp rise in settlement construction in recent years. Palestinian research group MADAR reports that the number of new settlement outposts has increased significantly since 2023, supported by growing Israeli government funding.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Most of the international community considers these settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
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