Israel's new settlements plan, a response to European push for two-state solution

The 22 settlements include 11 new communities and 11 unauthorized outposts often referred to by settlers as part of the “youth settlement” movement. The move significantly expands Israeli territorial control, disrupts potential Palestinian territorial continuity and designates large areas for future construction in the region.

Notably, the decision includes a return to the northern West Bank with the reestablishment of Homesh and Sa-Nur, two settlements evacuated during the 2005 disengagement from Gaza. The Knesset repealed the ban on returning to those sites in early 2023. Construction in Homesh has already resumed quietly over the past year, with families, caravans, a yeshiva and newly paved roads.

Sa-Nur, meanwhile, has not had a permanent Jewish presence since the evacuation, though settlers have occasionally entered the site. With the new approval, Sa-Nur is expected to be absorbed into the Shomron Regional Council and settler groups anticipate a rush to the area in the coming months.

The decision also approves a new settlement on Mount Ebal near Nablus, a location selected primarily to block Palestinian territorial contiguity and further undermine the two-state solution.

Since the current government took office, it has approved a total of 50 new settlements in four separate rounds: 17 in the Binyamin region, 13 in Samaria, 6 in South Hebron, 6 in Gush Etzion, 5 in the Jordan Valley and 3 in the Megilot Dead Sea region.

Before this government, 128 recognized settlements were present in the West Bank; the number now stands at 178—a 40% increase in just two years. What once took decades is now unfolding within a single government term, with only administrative planning stages remaining. The approvals have bypassed any diplomatic process.

Other proposals for unilateral recognition have recently gained traction, possibly in connection with future normalization agreements.

The Israeli move is also being interpreted as a message to Hamas: both Katz and Smotrich have spoken openly about “controlling territory” in Gaza. Their actions in the West Bank show the policy in practice—expanding Israeli control while formally rejecting the idea of a two-state solution.

Katz and Smotrich have worked closely on the initiative, a sharp contrast to Smotrich’s previously strained relationship with former defense minister Yoav Gallant. Looking ahead, settler leaders show no signs of slowing down.