Published: June 4, 2026 ⢠5:36 PM IST · Updated: June 4, 2026 ⢠9:18 PM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
The far-right finance minister says the new houses will āstrengthen our hold on the landā.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced a major expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, as he pushes to annex more of the Palestinian territory.
Smotrich said on Wednesday that a planning committee had approved the construction of 2,162 new Jewish homes, of which 1,006 units will be in a new illegal settlement near Jerusalem, 922 near the city of Nablus and 234 near Hebron.
āWe are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice,ā Smotrich said in a statement.
The new homes would āstrengthen our hold on the land, reinforce Israelās security, and establish clear facts on the ground that prevent the creation of an Arab terror state in the heart of the countryā.