Palestinian Authority condemns Israel’s approval of 19 new West Bank settlements, calling it a dangerous step to tighten colonial control.
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority has condemned Israel’s recent approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
It accused Israel of tightening its colonial control over Palestinian land in a statement on Tuesday.
The approval was announced on Sunday by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Smotrich said the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian foreign ministry called it a “dangerous step aimed at tightening colonial control over the entirety of Palestinian land”.
It said the decision continues policies of “apartheid, settlement, and annexation” that undermine Palestinian rights.
The ministry added that it provides cover for land theft and expanding settlement infrastructure.
It also cited an escalating pace of “settler terrorism” against Palestinians and their properties.
Smotrich’s office said this brings the total settlements approved in the last three years to 69.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank alongside about three million Palestinians.
The 19 new settlements are in areas described as “highly strategic” by Smotrich’s office.
Two of them, Ganim and Kadim in the northern West Bank, will be re-established after being dismantled 20 years ago.
Five of the settlements already existed but lacked legal status under Israeli law.
The UN recently said settlement expansion has reached its highest level since at least 2017.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
US President Donald Trump recently warned Israel would lose all US support if it annexed the West Bank.
Violence has surged in the territory since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
At least 1,028 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers since then, according to an AFP tally.
At least 44 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank in the same period, according to Israeli data.
