Right-Wing Government Accelerates Settlement Expansion in West Bank, Report Shows

A new report by the left-wing organization Peace Now reveals a significant surge in Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank during the current right-wing government's tenure from 2023 to 2025. According to the report, 185 new outposts were established, and 102 settlements were either newly authorized or upgraded to independent settlement status.

The report also highlights the promotion of over 40,000 housing units within these settlements, reflecting a substantial construction boom. Additionally, settlement outposts now control more than 1.1 million dunams of land, an increase of over 750,000 dunams in recent years. Infrastructure development includes the construction and paving of 223 kilometers of new roads, agricultural cultivation of at least 11,520 dunams by settlers, and the declaration of 25,959 dunams as state land.

Covering data up to the first quarter of 2026, the report warns of a de facto annexation process under the current government. The expansion aligns with policies led by Finance Minister and Defense Ministry official Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strook, who have actively promoted settlement growth, legalization of outposts, and strengthening Israeli control over the West Bank.

This comprehensive data underscores the rapid and extensive changes in settlement patterns and land control in the West Bank under the current Israeli government, marking a record pace of settlement expansion.