Defense Ministry confirms ministerial approval of 22 new West Bank settlements

Defense Minister Israel Katz confirms that ministers approved the construction of 22 new West Bank settlements, which will include a series of new communities and the legalization of several wildcat outposts.

Katz’s office in a statement describes the cabinet vote “as a historic decision,” asserting the settlements will “strengthen the strategic grip on all parts of Judea and Samaria [West Bank]” and “prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

“This is a big day for the settlement movement and an important day for the State of Israel,” says Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich. “Settling our homeland is the defensive shield of the State of Israel.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz says the move “strengthens our hold [on the territory] and is a decisive response to Palestinian terror.”