Illegal settlement expansion: How Israel is redrawing occupied West Bank

"Israel's approval of 19 new settlements stands to redraw the occupied West Bank, undermining prospect of two-state solution. The Israeli security cabinet has approved 19 new settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank as the right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves to prevent the formation of a viable Palestinian state. As Netanyahu's government has made the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory a priority, the United Nations has said Israeli settlement expansions in 2025 have reached their highest level since 2017."

"These figures represent a sharp increase compared to previous years, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, noting an average of 12,815 housing units were added annually from 2017 to 2022. Under the current far-right government, the number of settlement and outposts in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem has risen by nearly 50 percent from 141 in 2022 to 210 now. An outpost is built without government authorisation while a settlement is authorised by the Israeli government."

"Nearly 10 percent of Israel's Jewish population of 7.7 million people lives in these settlements, which are considered illegal under international law. Here's everything you need to know about the newly approved settlements and what they mean for the future of Palestinian statehood. (Al Jazeera) The new settlements are spread across the West Bank home to more than three million Palestinians from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south."

Israel's security cabinet approved 19 new settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank, accelerating settlement expansion under a right-wing government. The annexation of occupied Palestinian territory is a stated priority of the Netanyahu government, and United Nations data show settlement expansions in 2025 reached their highest level since 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reported an average of 12,815 housing units added annually from 2017 to 2022. The number of settlements and outposts rose nearly 50% from 141 in 2022 to 210. Nearly 10% of Israel's 7.7 million Jewish population lives in settlements considered illegal under international law. New outposts are located across the West Bank, frequently adjacent to densely populated Palestinian villages, threatening territorial contiguity needed for Palestinian statehood.

Read at www.aljazeera.com