Netanyahu vows more West Bank settlements

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep establishing settlements in the West Bank despite mounting international pressure, promising a major wave of immigration to the occupied Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing tight elections in October, leads one of the most right-wing governments in Israel’s history that has rapidly approved construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

The outposts, often made up of just a few mobile homes or makeshift structures, are illegal even under Israeli law, but their approval and legalisation have surged in recent years.

“We cannot ignore the numbers: 104 communities that we established and legalised together, and 160 farms, with more to come,” Netanyahu told an event for settlers late on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office.

He told attendees: “You are fulfilling the vision of the Land of Israel, and this is our land.

“You are preparing the ground for a very large wave of immigration that will come,” he added, hailing “a tremendous effort by the government to fulfil the vision of generations”.

Israel has faced growing international outrage over its settlement expansion, as violence by settlers against Palestinians soars.

Last week, key European leaders condemned a major settlement project after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area.

The E1 plan was given the green light by Israel last year and threatens the territorial contiguity of the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, further dimming prospects for a functioning independent Palestinian state.

Israel has since 1967 occupied the West Bank, where more than 500,000 Israelis now live in settlements. The territory is home to about three million Palestinians.

Netanyahu’s government, which contains ministers who openly call for the territory’s annexation, is advancing more construction ahead of October 27 elections.

Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers has increased dramatically since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.