settlement expansion

Activists interrupted an Israeli Knesset Finance Committee meeting to protest an additional $36m allocated for settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. The funding, approved to develop over 70 archaeological and heritage sites, raised the year's settlement budget to a record $273m. Finance Committee Chairman Hanoch Milwidsky labeled the protestors 'worse than terrorists'.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin stated that Israeli settler violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank are interconnected as part of Israel's illegal colonial project. She argued that settler terrorism is a systematic tool for demographic change, supported by countries providing weapons and diplomatic cover, and rejected the notion that these acts are isolated extremist actions.

Israeli forces are intensifying raids in the West Bank as settlers escalate attacks and settlement expansion accelerates. The situation highlights increased military and civilian activity in the occupied territory.

Arab League secretary-general Nabil Fahmy claims Israel blocked his first foreign trip to Ramallah. Palestinian authorities informed the Arab League of Israel's rejection of the visit to meet President Mahmoud Abbas. The article mentions the ongoing situation in the West Bank since 2023, including military raids and settlement expansions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to form a broad national government after the next election, distancing himself from far-right allies. His current government relies on far-right ministers who have pushed for occupation, settlement expansion, and military escalation.

Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups in France urged the international community to pursue a two-state solution, warning the peace window is narrowing. The call comes as world powers address concerns over West Bank settlement expansion and violence.

Israel is expected to approve a 1 billion shekel ($337.8 million) allocation for new settlements and infrastructure in the occupied West Bank, according to Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement group. The plan is promoted by far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who advocates for settlement expansion and opposes Palestinian statehood.

Lior Amihai, director of Israeli NGO Peace Now, claims the Israeli coalition government aims to annex West Bank territories and create a racist state based on Jewish supremacy. The government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, has expanded West Bank settlements since late 2022, though most Israelis oppose this policy.