Israel Set to Allocate Billions of Shekels for Expansion of Settlements in West Bank
According to reports, the Israeli government has set aside billions of shekels to further expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, in direct violation of international demands to halt the appropriation of Palestinian land.
On Wednesday, Channel 7 in Israel reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, of the far-right regime, had come to an agreement with Transportation Minister Miri Regev to allocate around 4 billion shekels to upgrade the infrastructure in settlements.
The Israeli transportation ministry is expected to provide 160 million shekels for the improvement of roads in the West Bank settlements, the report mentioned.
The plan includes the road from Ariel to Taffouh, as well as other roads connecting settlements near Nablus, Salfit, and Qalqilya, plus Isawiya in the East Jerusalem area.
Since Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power as Prime Minister of the Tel Aviv regime’s most far-right cabinet in December 2020, the regime has increased its settlement expansion activities.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, recently reported that there are 700,000 Israelis inhabiting 279 settlements in the occupied West Bank, 14 of which are located in East Jerusalem, which is also under occupation.
The international community views the settlements constructed by Tel Aviv in the West Bank since 1967, of which there are hundreds, as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions due to their being built on occupied territories.
The UN Security Council has repeatedly expressed its disapproval of Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories. This has been significant for the Palestinians, as they have been campaigning for the West Bank to be part of their future state, with East al-Quds, located within the occupied territory, as its capital.
