On 21 December 2025 Israel’s security cabinet approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, including plans to re‑establish Ganim and Kadim, which were dismantled in 2005. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said 69 new settlements have now been approved during the current government’s term.
The measure was tabled jointly by Mr Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz. Public statements from both offices framed the decision as a strategic move to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and to expand state-backed infrastructure to the sites concerned.
Under international law, Israeli settlements in occupied territory have no legal validity. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) reaffirms that settlement activity constitutes a flagrant violation and demands an immediate halt; the International Committee of the Red Cross cites Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention in taking the same position. Israel disputes this interpretation.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the decision on 16 December, describing it as a breach of relevant UN resolutions and calling for international action to halt settlement activity.
A UN Secretary‑General report circulated this month records settlement growth at its highest since systematic UN monitoring began in 2017, with around 47,390 housing units advanced, approved or tendered in 2025. The Secretary‑General warned that “relentless” expansion fuels tensions and threatens the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Peace Now and UN data indicate approximately 503,700 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 233,600 in East Jerusalem. The watchdog also estimates that the number of recognised settlements in the West Bank has risen from 141 in 2022 to around 210 after this week’s approval.
This latest move follows major steps earlier in the year: in May, the government signed off on 22 additional settlements; in August, authorities granted final approvals for roughly 3,400 homes in the E1 corridor between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, a project long criticised for undermining territorial contiguity for a future Palestinian state.
Formal recognition and legalisation of outposts typically unlock budget lines and planning permissions for roads, utilities and public services by classifying them as neighbourhoods of existing settlements or as independent localities. Israeli media and government statements have described similar steps in recent approvals.
Broader diplomacy has shifted in parallel. On 21 September 2025 the UK, Australia and Canada formally recognised the State of Palestine, presenting the move as a coordinated effort to preserve a two‑state outcome while insisting Hamas would have no role in future governance.
Security conditions in the West Bank remain fragile. The UN’s humanitarian office recorded a record 264 settler attacks in October 2025 alone-the highest monthly figure since tracking began in 2006-amid wider violence involving Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups.
Key partners have already signalled consequences for rhetoric and policies linked to settlement expansion. In June, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway sanctioned Ministers Smotrich and Ben‑Gvir for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Operational details on today’s approvals-including precise locations, housing unit counts and tender timelines-will depend on subsequent decisions by the Civil Administration and budget allocations. Officials and media briefings indicate some elements remain to be set out.