Israel to approve $350 million plan for 61 new West Bank settlements

Israel’s cabinet is set to approve a multi‑year funding plan worth more than $350 million that would finance the de‑facto establishment of 61 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. The proposal builds on a first tranche of 152 million shekels ($51 million) already allocated for planning 69 settlements and outposts, and would support the construction of roughly 2,160 new homes near Jerusalem, Nablus and Hebron. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice,” and framed the expansion as a security measure.

At the same time, demolition activity in annexed East Jerusalem has sharply increased. Anti‑settlement group Ir Amim reported that over 260 homes and structures were razed in 2025 – a 70 % rise from three years earlier – with at least 116 demolitions recorded this year. Residents such as Fakhri Abu Diab describe the loss of their homes as an erasure of personal and community memory. International bodies and several countries have condemned the expansion, with the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France and others imposing sanctions on individuals and entities linked to settler violence. Amnesty International has described the government’s actions as contributing to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the occupied territories.