Israel’s announcement on May 29th of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank has triggered strong condemnation from the UK, Jordan, the United Nations, according to Al-Monitor via AFP.
Britain said the move was a “deliberate obstacle” to creating a Palestinian state. Similarly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesman stated it placed peace efforts “in the wrong direction”.
These reactions follow a consistent pattern, as the United Nations continuously denounces Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law.
The decision, made by Israel’s security cabinet, was declared by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz. “We have made a historic decision for the development of settlements: 22 new communities in Judea and Samaria… Next step: sovereignty!” Smotrich said on X.
Katz, said that the initiative “changes the face of the region and shapes the future of settlement for years to come.” He added, that the directive “prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel,” the BBC reported on May 29th.
In May 2023, Smotrich, who lives in Kedumim, a settlement regarded as unlawful under international law, declared that his “life’s mission is to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state,” The Guardian reported on May 29th. He directed Israeli government ministries to plan for the arrival of an additional 500,000 Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. On April 7th this year, he also vowed to maintain the aid blockade on Gaza, Middle East Eye reported.
However, not all the settlements are new. According to the Israeli NGO Peace Now, some are existing outposts or neighbourhoods that will be designated as independent communities. Hamas responded by accusing Israel of “accelerating steps to Judaize Palestinian land within a clear annexation project.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric reiterated opposition to all settlement expansion, while Jordan declared the move illegal. The country warned it “undermines prospects for peace.” The UK’s Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer echoed this sentiment. He said the plan endangers “the two-state solution” and does not enhance Israeli security.
Israel’s Likud party hailed the plan as a “once-in-a-generation decision.” Meanwhile, Peace Now claimed the government no longer hides its intentions: “the annexation of the occupied territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal.”
Smotrich defended the move. He said: “We have not taken a foreign land, but the heritage of our ancestors.”
Al-Monitor via AFP, The Guardian, BBC, Middle East Eye
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