WEST BANK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center)، Israel’s political and security cabinet has approved a plan to legalize and expand 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that has drawn sharp condemnation from the United Nations in its capacity as the largest settlement expansion in years and a direct threat to international law and the prospects for a two-state solution.
According to Hebrew media reports on Friday, the cabinet endorsed a proposal submitted by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich to legalize and organize 19 existing settlements and outposts across the West Bank. Channel 14, which is close to the far-right government, said discussions during Thursday night’s cabinet meeting focused on accelerating planning procedures for both long-established settlements and entirely new ones.
Among the settlements highlighted were Ganim and Kadim, which were evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel’s disengagement from Gaza. The channel described the decision as a “full return” of settlers to northern areas of what Israel calls Judea and Samaria, portraying the move as a “revolution” led by Smotrich and a “real earthquake” in the settlement enterprise. Preparations for rapid implementation are reportedly already underway following cabinet directives.
The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said around 500,000 settlers currently live in settlements across the West Bank, while an additional 250,000 others reside in settlements built on occupied East Jerusalem land.
The cabinet decision comes as many observers warn that formal annexation of the West Bank would effectively eliminate any remaining possibility of implementing the two-state solution, as outlined in numerous United Nations resolutions. Israel has continued to reject withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital since occupying the remaining Palestinian lands after its creation in 1948.
Moayad Shaaban, head of the Palestinian Authority’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said the Israeli cabinet’s approval of the legalization and establishment of 19 new settlements across the West Bank constitutes “another step in the race to erase Palestinian geography in favor of the colonial settlement project.”
In a press statement, Shaaban said the decision reflects a dangerous escalation and clearly exposes the true intentions of the Israeli occupation government to entrench a system of annexation and apartheid, while cementing the full Judaization of Palestinian land.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Israel’s settlement expansion, including in occupied Jerusalem, warning that 2025 has witnessed the largest expansion of settlement plans since UN monitoring began.
In a report released Friday, Guterres said settlement activity and settler violence have escalated to alarming levels, particularly during the olive harvest season. He stressed that all Israeli settlements are illegal, null, and void under international law, and constitute a flagrant violation of Palestinian rights.
Guterres also expressed deep concern over the fragility of the security situation in Gaza and the continued violence threatening the ceasefire. He noted that repeated Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have continued to inflict heavy civilian casualties and cause widespread destruction to infrastructure.
Despite limited improvements in the flow of food into Gaza, the UN chief said most residents still lack access to basic protein sources, underscoring the severity of the humanitarian crisis. He emphasized the need for full accountability for any atrocity crimes or violations of international law.
According to the report, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, with more than 80 percent of residential and public buildings damaged or destroyed.
