In a move originally proposed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israel's cabinet has decided to give legal status to 19 settlements in the West Bank, Israeli media reported late last week.
The 19 settlements include two that Israel withdrew from in 2005, evacuated under the disengagement plan overseen by former prime minister Ariel Sharon, which also led to the dismantlement of the Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Authority on Friday condemned the move. PA Minister Mu’ayyad Sha’ban called the announcement another step to erase Palestinian geography, claiming that the decision raised serious alarms over the future of the West Bank.
Smotrich approves hundreds of housing units in multiple West Bank settlements
This comes after Israel gave final approval for 764 housing units to be built in three settlements in the West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) said Wednesday. The move is part of an ongoing initiative to expand housing in the area, he said.
Hashmonaim, in the Binyamin region of the West Bank near the country's center, will receive 478 housing units.
The haredi (ultra-Orthodox) settlement of Betar Illit in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, south of Jerusalem, will receive 230 housing units.
Givat Ze’ev, also in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, northwest of Jerusalem, will receive 56 housing units.
Keshet Neev contributed to this report.