Settlement expansion accelerated
The development came a day after far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank was accelerating, claiming the establishment of 160 settlement farms and approval of more than 100 new illegal settlements since he took office.
Settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and are considered by the UN a major obstacle to peace in the region.
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza on October 8, 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have escalated attacks in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, through killings, arrests, forced displacement and illegal settlement expansion.
The escalation has killed 1,173 Palestinians, injured 12,666 others, led to the arrest of about 24,000 and displaced 33,000, according to official figures.
RelatedTRT World – Illegal Israeli settlers destroy sole water supply line to Umm Safa in occupied West Bank
