Israel approves plan to establish 13 new settlements in occupied West Bank | Israel-Palestine War News

Palestinian officials are warning of the consequences of the plan, saying it will isolate East Jerusalem.

Israel’s defense minister has approved a plan to launch 13 new villages in the central West Bank, which Palestinian officials say will further divide the region and separate East Jerusalem from the surrounding Palestinian territories.

Israel’s Channel 7 reported that the minister approved the construction of an illegal settlement on Thursday in the Binyamin neighborhood, one of the largest settlements in the occupied West Bank.

It is located along Route 60, the central north-south artery that runs through the West Bank that connects Palestinian cities, including Nablus, Ramallah, and Bethlehem, and also connects large parts of Israel.

The first phase is expected to begin in the coming months and will include the establishment of four to six villages, with the support of millions of shekels, Jerusalem’s ambassador to Palestine said.

A number of existing pastors also need to be officially recognized, which will enable them to receive government funding and infrastructure, it added.

The plan focuses on two main corridors: the areas northwest of Jerusalem and west of Ramallah along Route 60, and a section leading east toward the Jordan Valley.

The Jerusalem government said the plan was designed to connect the settlements, strengthen Israel’s control over the hilltops and prevent the continuation of Palestinian settlements.

“This plan seeks to create a real reality in the world,” the governor added in a statement, warning that the expansion would “undermine the hope of establishing a unified Palestinian state.”

The government linked the acceleration of the problem-solving process with political calculations in Israel, especially with The Knesset election is approaching.

It called this a “dangerous escalation” and a “violation of international law,” calling for international intervention.

The approval comes amid an unprecedented surge Israel’s permanent job.

New data from the Palestinian Forum for Israel Studies (MADAR) shows that the number of new settlements has increased in recent years. After doing about eight episodes a year between 2012 and 2022, this number rose to 32 in 2023, then 62 in 2024, to 86 in 2025.

The expansion was supported by a large amount of government funding: the Israeli government allocated 28 million shekels ($7.5m) to the rural areas in 2023 and 75 million shekels ($20m) in 2024, and planned 70 investments.

Binyamin’s plan follows reports that regular airstrikes are being planned to target Area A, the Palestinian-controlled area, which would constitute a violation of the Oslo Accords.

Palestinian officials have long warned that continuing to expand settlements is destroying the possibility of a two-state solution, as more than 700,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war.

Many countries consider the settlement illegal under international law.