Netanyahu supports West Bank settlement outpost expansion
The plan emerged during a National Security Council meeting in early November, which addressed educational strategies to counter the violence of the extremist settler group known as the “Hilltop Youth.” This group has been involved in seizing Palestinian land and carrying out attacks on civilians and property.
The document revealed that Netanyahu supported “the certified and supervised farms” as “a positive and necessary response to preserve Area C and to counter Palestinian activity there.”
Officials attending the meeting said the prime minister also directed ministries to speed up the legal regulation of the outposts.
Most of the lands used by these settlement outposts are allocated by Israel’s Civil Administration, part of the Defense Ministry operating in the Palestinian territories. Reports indicate that the government has worked for years to formalize the outposts, which now include 70 to 100 sites, more than 15 of which were established since the Gaza conflict began on October 8, 2023. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strock have reportedly increased state funding for these outposts, providing tens of millions of shekels over the past three years. Due to their illegal status, much of the funding supports mobile equipment and security measures to maintain their presence on the land.
Officials reportedly view the outposts as a mechanism to counter Palestinian expansion in the West Bank amid ongoing international pressure for a future Palestinian state. Activist group Peace Now estimates that over 500,000 illegal settlers currently live in West Bank settlements.
In parallel, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that a “security escalation” is anticipated in the northern West Bank. Last week, the Israeli army conducted a large-scale operation involving curfews, home searches, property confiscations, and demolitions. The offensive reportedly contributed to heightened tensions on Palestinian social media and the resurgence of armed operatives. Additional factors, such as the release of hundreds of detainees in prior prisoner exchanges, have also fueled instability, according to reports.
Since the start of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, more than 1,085 Palestinians have been killed and 10,700 injured in attacks by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, with over 20,500 arrests recorded. In a landmark ruling last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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