Israel Advances West Bank Settlement Plans Amid International Condemnation

Less than 24 hours after 12 countries announced intentions to impose trade restrictions on West Bank settlements, Israel is set to discuss three settlement expansion plans today. These plans, according to the "Bimkom" NGO, encompass a total of 747 housing units in ITAB West, Ma'oz Tzur, and Adi Ad. Concurrently, the "Peace Now" organization reports that the Higher Planning Council is scheduled to review an additional 1,670 housing units.

The discussions occur against the backdrop of a joint statement by 12 nations, including the UK, France, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, and Norway, who declared their intent to implement national or support European restrictions on trade with settlements. These countries urged the Israeli government to halt settlement expansion and ensure accountability for settler violence.

One significant plan involves establishing ITAB West in the Jordan Valley, spanning approximately 200 dunams and including 281 housing units. This site is near an existing settlement and an area previously inhabited by the Ras al-Auja community, which reportedly left in January 2026 due to settler pressure and violence. Planning for ITAB West began before the community's departure, with the government deciding on its establishment in December 2025.

Two other plans focus on regulating existing outposts. Plan 139 aims to formalize Ma'oz Tzur near Jenin as an independent settlement named Ma'oz, with about 100 housing units on 240 dunams. Plan 252/2 seeks to regulate the Adi Ad outpost, established in 1998, by integrating it as a neighborhood of Amichai, comprising 367 housing units on 672 dunams.

Human rights and planning organizations criticize the timing of these discussions, especially following the international statement. The joint declaration emphasized that settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank undermine the two-state solution and called for an immediate halt to settlement growth. Asaf Feled of Bimkom criticized the ITAB West plan, suggesting it rewards settlers for displacing Palestinians, while noting that these are planning stages, not completed construction.