Israel Approves 22 New West Bank Settlements, Sparking Global Condemnation

Israel has greenlit its largest settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank in decades, approving 22 new Jewish settlements, including the legalization of unauthorized outposts and the creation of new communities. Announced on May 29, 2025, by Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the move has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian officials, human rights groups, and international allies, escalating tensions in an already volatile region.

The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, has authorized 22 new settlements in the West Bank, a territory captured from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. Some of these settlements, like Homesh and Sa-Nur, revive outposts evacuated in 2005

, while others, such as Mount Ebal near Nablus and Beit Horon North west of Ramallah, are entirely new. According to the Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now, 12 existing outposts will be legalized under Israeli law, and nine new settlements will be established, marking the “most extensive move of its kind” in over 30 years.