In a significant escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli authorities have approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in Palestinian territories, drawing sharp condemnation from Palestinian leadership and human rights organizations. Muayyad Shaban, head of a prominent Palestinian organization, characterized the move as a dangerous expansionist policy that threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.
Shaban issued a statement condemning what he described as “a systematic policy led by the settler government” under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He warned that the settlement approvals represent “a new attack on Palestinian territory” and demonstrate Israel’s true intentions to consolidate a system of annexation and apartheid through what he termed the “complete Judaization” of Palestinian land.
The Palestinian official emphasized that this legalization of settlements constitutes “another step in the race to annihilate Palestinian geography in favor of the colonial settlement project” and represents a blatant challenge to international law. According to Shaban, Israeli authorities are implementing a strategic vision aimed at eliminating the possibility of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state through systematic settlement expansion.
Finance Minister Smotrich, known for his hardline anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab positions, described the approval of these settlements as historic. The move comes amid already heightened tensions in the region, with over 750,000 Jewish settlers currently residing in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, distributed among approximately 180 settlements and 256 outposts according to official figures.
The international community has consistently rejected Israel’s expansionist policy in the occupied territories, which are considered integral to any future Palestinian state under numerous United Nations resolutions and international agreements. Shaban called for urgent international action to halt what he characterized as a dangerous escalation that threatens prospects for peace and stability in the region.