New West Bank settlements get nod from Israel despite global opposition

Israel announced on Sunday the establishment of 19 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, going against one of the key conditions of a United States-brokered truce and Washington's rejection of annexing the West Bank, and undermining calls to honor peace commitments.

The expansion plans had been detailed in a resolution proposed by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and approved by the Security Cabinet on Dec 12. The decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to a statement from the office of Smotrich.

Of these, Israel said 11 new settlements will be established in the West Bank, along with the legalization or recognition of eight illegal outposts and neighborhoods of existing settlements as new official settlements, The Times of Israel reported.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently condemned what he described as Israel's "relentless" expansion of settlements in the occupied territory.

It "continues to fuel tensions, impede access by Palestinians to their land and threaten the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State", Guterres said earlier this month.

Since the start of the conflict in Gaza, calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state have increased, with several European countries, Canada and Australia recently moving to formally recognize such a state, drawing rebukes from Israel.

Ultra far-right Israeli government officials have staunchly been against any recognition of a Palestinian state.

Hamish Falconer, the United Kingdom's Minister for the Middle East, condemned the Israeli announcement.

"The UK condemns the Israeli government's approval of 19 new settlements in Palestine. These are illegal under international law," Falconer said on X on Sunday.

"This risks undermining the 20-Point Plan and prospects for the long-term peace and security that only a two-state solution can deliver."

US President Donald Trump has publicly said that annexation of the West Bank would not happen and warned Israel could lose all US support.

Lack of accountability

Dina Yulianti Sulaeman, director of the Indonesia Center for Middle East Studies, told China Daily:"The expansion of settlements also delegitimized mediators and the Palestinian authorities, thereby weakening the ongoing ceasefire. In the absence of accountability, words or denunciations are only symbolic."

In addition, she said, "The statements of the Trump administration against West Bank annexation can lead to some tension in US-Israel relations, but it can hardly result in a serious rift unless it is actually applied.

"The importance of this statement made by Trump is that it reaffirms the legal status of West Bank as an occupied territory and its annexation is illegal under international law," she added.

In another development, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Saturday of a meeting in Florida that discussions regarding the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal emphasized "enabling a governing body in Gaza under a unified Gazan authority to protect civilians and maintain public order".

"We also discussed regional integration measures, including trade facilitation, infrastructure development, and cooperation on energy, water, and other shared resources, as essential to Gaza's recovery, regional stability, and long-term prosperity," Witkoff said on X.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that its air force carried out several strikes near the "yellow line" demarcation in Gaza, hitting five people. Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that at least three people were killed early on Sunday in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.