Israel allocates US$431 million for new West Bank settlements amid international criticism

The Israeli government has formally announced the allocation of NIS 1.3 billion (approximately US$431 million) to support the establishment of dozens of new settlements in the occupied West Bank that have been approved over the past three and a half years.

The funding package, approved by Israel's security cabinet last month, will be implemented by the Settlements Ministry and the Housing and Construction Ministry following a decision formulated by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Settlements Minister Orit Strock and Housing and Construction Minister Haim Katz said the funds would be used to establish what they described as “pioneer neighbourhoods” at newly approved settlement sites.

The projects will include prefabricated homes, roads and supporting infrastructure.

According to the ministers, the budget is intended to accelerate settlement development while the standard planning and construction processes continue.

Record number of settlements approved

The current Israeli government says it has approved 103 new settlements in the West Bank during its tenure, a figure described by Israeli media as unprecedented in the history of the settlement movement.

Smotrich said the government was working to ensure that decisions authorising new settlements would be implemented on the ground.

“We are making sure that the decisions we made regarding the legalisation and establishment of new settlements in Judea and Samaria do not remain on paper, but are translated into reality on the ground,” he said, using the Israeli term for the West Bank.

He added that the government had approved a series of budget measures covering roads, infrastructure and housing construction, and predicted that additional settlements would move forward in the coming months due to what he described as strong demand.

Ministers hail expansion plans

Strock described the initiative as one of the largest settlement projects undertaken by Israel.

“There has never been a Zionist settlement decision of this magnitude in the entire history of the State of Israel,” she said.

Katz said the funding would enable authorities to begin development work, establish new neighbourhoods and install infrastructure needed for residents to move into the settlements.

“The Construction and Housing Ministry will work to remove barriers and accelerate the process, so that new settlements can quickly go from the planning phase to reality,” Katz said.

International criticism

The announcement comes amid continuing international criticism of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In an advisory opinion issued in July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful under international law and stated that the occupation should end as rapidly as possible.

The court also found that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory had been established and maintained in breach of international law.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has repeatedly criticised ongoing settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank.

The agency said attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities have continued and expressed concern over what it described as a lack of accountability for such incidents.

Casualties in the West Bank

According to UNRWA, at least 1,091 Palestinians, including at least 239 children, were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between 7 October 2023 and early May 2026. The agency said the fatalities were caused by Israeli security forces or Israeli settlers.

Separate data published by the United Nations Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 2023. The office said one in five of those killed was a child.

The UN Human Rights Office also reported that 59 Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks or armed clashes in the West Bank and Israel during the same period, including 22 members of the Israeli security forces.

The office has called for independent investigations into incidents involving the use of lethal force and into attacks carried out by settlers, while expressing concern over what it described as a lack of accountability in many cases.