Israel's Security Cabinet has approved a plan to establish 13 new settlements in the occupied West Bank , with Palestinian officials warning that the expansion will deepen territorial fragmentation and further isolate occupied East Jerusalem. According to Israel's Channel 7 , the cabinet endorsed the construction of the new settlements on Thursday in the Binyamin regional council area, one of the largest settlement blocs in the central West Bank. Israeli media report that the first phase of the project is expected to begin in the coming months, with an initial four to six settlements set for establishment.
Several existing settlement outposts are also set to be legalised, enabling them to receive state funding and infrastructure support.
Israeli media reported that the project will be backed by investments worth millions of shekels with several existing pastoral outposts are also expected to receive formal legal status. This would allow them to access government funding and infrastructure. Channel 7 and other outlets say the project will be funded by investments worth around 1 billion shekels, with some pastoral outposts likewise expected to receive formal legal status. This would allow them to access government funding and core infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water.
The plan reportedly focuses on two key corridors: areas northwest of Jerusalem and west of Ramallah along Route 60, and territory stretching eastwards towards the Jordan Valley.
In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate condemned the decision, accusing Israel of seeking to link settlement blocs, tighten control over strategically important hilltops and further restrict Palestinian territorial continuity. It warned that the expansion aims to "create new geographical realities on the ground" and "undermine the prospects of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state."
The governorate also argued that the acceleration of settlement activity is tied to domestic political calculations in Israel, particularly with Knesset elections approaching .
Describing the measures as "a dangerous escalation" and "violations of international law", it called on the international community to intervene and halt Israel’s settlement policies, saying the latest steps violate international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
Amir Daoud, the director of Publishing and Documentation at the Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission, told The New Arab that the move "should be viewed as part of a broader governmental strategy aimed to accelerating de facto annexation, consolidating Israeli control over occupied Palestinian territory, and transforming the temporary occupation into a permanent geopolitical reality,"
The Binyamin plan follows reports that settlement organisations are preparing to expand activity into Area A – territory designated under the Oslo Accords as being under full Palestinian civil and security control – in a move that would breach those agreements.
Daoud explained that the settlement expansion in the Binyamin region would "further fragment" Palestinian territory, increase military control over strategic transportation corridors, and place additional pressure on nearby Palestinian villages through expanded security zones, road infrastructure, and settlement-related restrictions.
In the Jordan Valley, "continued settlement expansion reinforces Israeli control over one of the most strategically important regions of the occupied West Bank," he added.
The latest reported moves come amid a sharp increase in Israeli settlement activity across the occupied West Bank.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Centre for Israeli Studies (Madar) said that the establishment of settlement outposts has accelerated markedly in recent years. According to the centre, the annual average rose from eight outposts a year between 2012 and 2022 to 32 in 2023, 62 in 2024 and 86 in 2025, reflecting what it described as an unprecedented expansion of Israeli settlement activity.
The report added that the expansion has been supported by significant state funding, with the Israeli government allocating 28 million shekels to settlement outposts in 2023 and 75 million shekels in 2024, alongside plans to finance a total of 70 outposts.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in settlements across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, territory that Israel captured during the 1967 war. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, are widely regarded as illegal under international law. Palestinian officials have long warned that continued settlement expansion is eroding the viability of a two‑state solution, while multiple United Nations resolutions and the International Court of Justice have affirmed that the settlements have no legal validity and constitute a major obstacle to achieving a just and lasting resolution to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
Daoud stressed that the challenge today is "not the absence of legal clarity but the lack of effective implementation of international obligations".
He urged the international community "to move beyond expressions of concern and adopt concrete measures that ensure respect for international law and accountability for ongoing violations.
Continued settlement expansion threatens not only Palestinian rights but also the prospects for a just and lasting peace".