Netanyahu announces West Bank settlement expansion and Aliyah preparations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the government is preparing for a ‘large wave’ of Jewish immigration, known as Aliyah, stating that the ‘door is open’ for the Jewish diaspora. Speaking at an event hosted by the Binyamin Regional Council, Netanyahu emphasized that the government will continue to expand and legitimize settlements in the West Bank, noting that his administration has already created or retroactively legalized 104 settlements and 160 farms.

In a separate development, Israeli forces reportedly entered a United Nations facility in East Jerusalem and opened fire on Palestinian minors. These incidents occur amid ongoing tensions and conflicting reports regarding migration trends; while Netanyahu anticipates an influx of Jewish immigrants, some data suggests an increase in Israelis leaving the country following the October 2023 Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.