Israel expands illegal settlements (redux)

It’s being called the biggest enlargement successful decades. On May 29, 2025, Israel said it volition found 22 settlements successful the occupied West Bank, an enactment amerciable nether planetary law. Israel says it’s lone protecting itself.

The concern itself began with the Six-Day War successful 1967, erstwhile Israel captured East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and started gathering settlements connected Palestinian land.

In the 1980s, Israeli argumentation encouraged operation of much settlements successful the West Bank and Gaza.

After the Oslo Accords successful 1993, commitments were made to frost colony operation — but they failed, and the expansions marched on.

Later, successful 2005, successful a uncommon triumph of sorts for the Palestinians, the Israeli authorities adopted a Gaza disengagement policy, starring to the withdrawal of each Israeli soldiers and the forced removal of hardline settlers from the territory. That took attraction of the Gaza hardliners, but settlements kept being built elsewhere, which led to governmental action.

On December 23, 2016, successful a 14-0, with the US abstaining, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli settlements arsenic a usurpation of planetary law.

Regardless, contiguous determination are much than 700,000 settlers, representing astir 10 percent of the Israeli population, galore of whom proceed to perpetrate acts of unit against Palestinians.

Israel already has much than 100 amerciable settlements successful the West Bank, lodging astir 500,000 settlers alongside much than 3 cardinal Palestinians nether Israeli subject rule.

Palestinians spot Israel’s latest program for the enlargement of amerciable settlements arsenic a “dangerous escalation”. NGOs similar Peace Now successful Israel are worried.