Peace Now: Netanyahu, Smotrich shackling next gov’t with commitments to further expand settlements

The Peace Now settlement watchdog blasts a new government plan to invest around $2.7 billion in infrastructure and thousands of new residential units across several settlements in the West Bank.

Peace Now accuses the government of squandering public funds and entrenching Israel’s control over Palestinians in the West Bank.

“Umbrella agreements are used for the rapid development of large-scale projects,” Peace Now’s Hagit Ofran tells AFP.

“From the government’s perspective, it is a double win: unbridled construction in the settlements, along with shackling the next government to commitments that will make it difficult to roll back this terrible government’s reckless policy.”

Earlier this week, Netanyahu and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed an umbrella agreement to invest in settlements in the norther West Bank.

“This is another significant step in the settlement revolution we are leading in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich said on X, using the biblical name for the West Bank.

“As part of the agreement, approximately 12,000 new housing units will be established, alongside an investment of more than eight billion ILS (approximately $ 2.7 billion) in infrastructure, public institutions and settlement development.”

Netanyahu hailed the agreement.

“Not only do we defend this place, we elevate it,” he said.