Government Expected to Approve About NIS 1 Billion for Major Settlement Expansion in the West Bank

In a video: Smotrich: “The time has come to apply sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, we will advance a government decision” / Knesset Channel

The government convened today, Thursday, at 12:00 p.m. to discuss and approve a plan worth about NIS 1 billion, intended for the construction of infrastructure and buildings in dozens of new settlements in Judea and Samaria. According to the report, the decision concerns funding for the establishment of settlements that the government has decided on over the past three years, some of which currently exist as outposts or as neighborhoods of existing communities, while others have not yet been established in practice.

According to the reports, the funds are intended, among other things, for the construction of temporary housing units, public buildings and basic infrastructure such as roads, water, sewage and land preparation. Although the issue appears on the agenda of the cabinet meeting, the full details of the decision have not yet been published on the Government Secretariat website.

According to the publications, this is a move that could include the establishment of dozens of new settlements, with different reports saying about 61 new communities would receive government funding. According to the published draft decision, the Settlement Division is expected to receive hundreds of millions of shekels for the establishment of “temporary sites” in the new settlements. As part of this, the construction of 15 caravans for housing and two caravans for public buildings is planned at each site.

At the same time, the Housing and Construction Ministry is expected to receive additional budgets for infrastructure construction and land development. In addition, the plan includes funding for “community mentors,” who will accompany the initial settlement groups in the new communities and help establish and consolidate them.

“The IDF chief of staff warned that the establishment of so many settlements would harm security and could bring the IDF to collapse.” Peace Now / TPS, no

Peace Now sharply attacked the move. In a statement, the organization said: “The government is in a mad dash before the elections to plunder the public budget in order to create facts on the ground that will leave the next government scorched earth.”

The group also claimed that “it is no coincidence that the IDF chief of staff warned that the establishment of so many settlements would harm security and could bring the IDF to collapse. October 7 proved that the right-wing path has failed, and that it is not possible to ‘manage’ the conflict and not possible to ‘defeat’ the Palestinians. The State of Israel must reach a solution and a political agreement, but instead the government is only deepening the swamp and condemning us to more years of bloody conflict.”

The decision is expected to spark public and political controversy, with supporters seeing it as a step to strengthen settlement, while opponents argue that it is a major expansion of settlements and a deepening of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.