Israel Establishes New Illegal Settlement in Northern West Bank
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing Anatolia news agency, reported that Israeli authorities have established a new illegal settlement on land in the Jenin Governorate in the northern occupied West Bank.
Wafa announced that the settlement, named ‘Noam,’ has been established south of the towns of Ganim and Kadim, on Palestinian territory southeast of Jenin.
The agency further stated that a ceremony was held to mark the establishment of the settlement, attended by several Israeli ministers and members of the Knesset.
Wafa indicated that this action signifies increasing official Israeli support for the expansion of settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The agency warned that the establishment of this new settlement occurs amid an intensification of Israel’s settlement project in the northern West Bank, particularly in areas from which Israeli settlements were evacuated in 2005 as part of the “Disengagement” plan.
In 2005, Israel evacuated four settlements in the northern occupied West Bank as part of the so-called “Disengagement” plan, which also included the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip.
However, in recent years, Israel has taken steps to lift restrictions that previously hindered the return of Israeli settlers to evacuated areas.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported in mid-July that the Israeli security cabinet approved a budget of $370 million for the establishment of new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The newspaper noted that this decision was not publicly announced.
Settlement activity has significantly expanded and accelerated across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, since the formation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in late 2022.
The United Nations recognizes the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territories.
Approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers reside in 141 illegal settlements and 224 settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank, including around 250,000 people living in 15 settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
The United Nations has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and has warned that these settlements undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.
