Israel approves 2,000+ new West Bank housing units

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the approval of 2,162 housing units across Judea and Samaria. The plan includes 1,006 units in the new Jewish village of Gevaot, 922 units in Har Bracha near Nablus, and 234 units in Kiryat Arba adjacent to Hebron. Smotrich framed the construction as a “national undertaking” that strengthens Israel’s security, prevents the creation of an Arab terror state, and establishes “clear facts on the ground.”

At the same time, the Bedouin village of Khan al‑Ahmar in the occupied West Bank faces forced evacuation under the controversial E1 colonisation project, which would link Israeli settlements and further divide Palestinian territory. Residents hear threats of bulldozers and military action, while human‑rights groups and several European governments have previously condemned the plan as illegal under international law.