Settlements

Smotrich: 'Establishing settlements destroys idea of Palestinian state in our heartland'

Smotrich's comments came at a ceremony celebrating the establishment of a new settlement, called Maoz Tzur, in the Binyamin region of the West Bank.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at the Knesset, March 23, 2026; illustrative.
A drone view of Al-Arroub refugee camp alongside a new road, part of the expansion of Israeli bypass roads connecting Israeli settlers in the West Bank with Jerusalem, in the West Bank, September 29, 2025.

Knesset advances bill to grant tax benefits for West Bank settlements

 Former prime minister Naftali Bennett in Tel Aviv. August 1, 2022.

'Stealing like thieves': Opposition condemns gov't NIS 5b allocation to haredim, settlements

VIEW OF snow on Mount Hermon in Syria, as seen from the northern Golan Heights, in Jan.

Beyond the Golan: The Israeli case for reclaiming southern Syria's Bashan - opinion


Netanyahu condemns West Bank riots, vows action against Jewish extremists

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, several government officials, and opposition figures condemned the Jewish extremists who rioted in the West Bank on Monday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the plenum hall of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025

WATCH: Hilltop Youth, security forces clash during demolition of illegal settlement extension

Gush Etzion Regional Council reached out to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to request his assistance in dealing with the "anarchy" developing in the area in a letter sent in September.

Israeli security forces clash with Jewish settlers during the evacuation of Illegal structures in Tzur Misgavi, an outpost in Gush Etzion, in the West Bank, November 17, 2025

Jewish settlers set fire to Palestinian mosque as West Bank violence runs rampant

Graffiti was found on the walls of the mosque with seemingly pointed messages to the IDF Central Command chief, who referred to Jewish violence against Palestinians as terrorism.

A Palestinian man inspects burned property in a mosque near Salfit in the West Bank, November 13, 2025

Dutch court dismisses appeal by human rights org. for further sanctions, boycott on Israel

Al-Haq, a Ramallah-based Palestinian human rights organization, and nine other advocacy groups urged the Dutch government to cease exporting goods and weapons to Israel.

A protester draped in a Palestinian flag holds up a sign at a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands May 24, 2024.

'Pirate trash fires': IDF, Civil Admin. work to dismantle illegal waste sites in West Bank

New data provided by Israel's Civil Administration has revealed that the cross-border environmental crisis is escalating dramatically, nearly tripling complaints from Israeli residents.

Pollution Crisis Worsens: Ministries Feud Over West Bank Waste as Complaints Triple

If Israel won't apply sovereignty to the West Bank, it should secure it - opinion

Who can be most trusted to capitalize on the opportunities before Israel for the de facto advancement of long-term diplomatic and security control of Judea and Samaria?

IDF VEHICLES travel in the area of the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in October 2025.

World Zionist Congress passes key resolutions, while E1 settlements project lead to walkouts

Subjects as antisemitism and education receive overwhelming support, while more controversial matters, such as the rejection of settlement building, saw a mass walkout in the WZC.

The World Zionist Organization building in Tel Aviv, overlooking Leonardo da Vinci Street, displayes the Declaration of Independence September 12, 2023

IDF considers reducing military presence in West Bank - Ynet

Responsibility for the safety of settlements would be mainly handed over to local security forces if the IDF decides to reduce its presence, according to Ynet.

IDF forces stand guard on a roadway in the West Bank, October 23, 2025

Knesset approves bill to apply Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank

According to the proposal, “the laws, judicial system, administration, and sovereignty of the State of Israel shall apply to all areas of settlement in Judea and Samaria.”

 Muslim women walk, as Israeli settlers carry Israeli flags next to a checkpoint near the Ibrahimi mosque, also known as the Cave of Patriarchs, on the day of the first Friday prayers of Ramadan, in Hebron's Old City, in the West Bank March 15, 2024.

As the world backs a Palestinian state, a Jewish future is being cemented in the West Bank

While diplomacy takes place abroad, a very different reality is emerging on the ground in the West Bank, with an increasing number of small settlement farms scattered across the contested territory.

This settlement farm on Route 458, east of Ramallah, is just one of at least 40 to 50 new communities that have sprung up in the area.