Israel’s Finance Minister Says Settlements Aim to Prevent Palestinian Statehood
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister, has stated that Tel Aviv is attempting to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state through the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. He emphasized that this move is part of Israel’s ongoing policies in the occupied territories.
Smotrich mentioned that the settlement of “Shanur” and more than 160 other settlement cores will act as a “protective wall” across the occupied lands. According to him, the expansion of these settlements aims to consolidate Israel’s presence in these areas.
Regional experts have consistently warned that the development of settlements in the West Bank could disrupt the geographical continuity of the region and restrict transportation routes between Palestinian towns and villages; issues that directly impact the process of establishing a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, the Hamas movement condemned the recent agreement between the Israeli cabinet and what it called the “Northern West Bank Settlement Council.” According to this agreement, 12,000 new settlement units are set to be constructed, and approximately eight billion shekels will be allocated for the development of settlement infrastructure.
Hamas described this move as an escalation of Israel’s current policies in the West Bank, stating that its aim is to expand control over Palestinian lands and alter the demographic composition of the area. The West Bank remains one of the key regions in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the issue of settlements has always been one of the main challenges in political negotiations.
