Israel has given final approval for 764 housing units to be built in three settlements in Judea and Samaria, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) said Wednesday. The move is part of an ongoing initiative to expand housing in the area, he said.
Hashmonaim in the Binyamin region of Samaria, near the center of the country, will receive 478 housing units.
The haredi (ultra-Orthodox) settlement of Betar Illit in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, south of Jerusalem, will receive 230 housing units.
Givat Ze’ev in the Binyamin region of Samaria, northwest of Jerusalem, will receive 56 housing units.
Since the start of the current government’s term in 2022, 51,370 housing units have been approved for deposit and final authorization in Judea and Samaria, according to Smotrich’s office.
Israel is 'continuing the revolution,' Smotrich says.
Israel is “continuing the revolution,” Smotrich said.
The initiative “is part of a clear strategic move to strengthen the settlement enterprise and ensure continuity of life, security, and growth,” he said.
“We plan and approve not with slogans but through orderly, consistent, and responsible work,” he added.
The initiative was “Zionism in action,” which connects security, settlement, and development with “genuine commitment to the future of the State of Israel,” Smotrich said.
United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush said: “The expansion of [Betar Illit] is good news for young couples and families living there.”
During the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the 1990s, the West Bank was split into three different designations.
The split resulted in Area A, chiefly Palestinian towns and cities that are under full security and civilian control of the PA; Area B, which is under Israel’s security control but the Palestinians’ civilian control; and Area C, which is under Israeli security and civilian control.
In August, Smotrich approved a major construction project in the Judea settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem in an area known as E1, which is located in Area C.
Israel views the majority of its settlements as legal under domestic law and built on state land according to legally viable government decisions.
Smotrich has repeatedly called for Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and requested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support.
Calls for sovereignty and annexation of the West Bank have resulted in international condemnation and backlash.
In September, the United Arab Emirates said any annexation of the West Bank would constitute a redline for Abu Dhabi, which would severely undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords that normalize relations between the two countries.
In October, the Knesset approved a private member’s bill to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
The bill, titled “Application of Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, 2025,” was initiated by Noam MK Avi Maoz. It still needs to pass two additional readings in the Knesset plenum before it becomes law.
Over the past month, there has been an increase in violence by settlers directed at Palestinians in various parts of the West Bank.