Israel Approves 19 New West Bank Outposts, Cementing Grip on Occupied Territory

Israel’s security cabinet has approved the establishment of 19 new settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, a move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government widely seen as a decisive step to prevent the formation of a viable Palestinian state. The decision, announced on December 22, comes amid heightened international scrutiny and record levels of settlement expansion in 2025.

According to the United Nations, Israeli settlement growth this year has reached its highest point since 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted a "sharp increase," with the total number of settlements and outposts rising by nearly 50 percent—from 141 in 2022 to 210 now. Approximately 700,000 settlers currently live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, comprising nearly 10 percent of Israel’s 7.7 million Jewish population.

[callout-info] Settlements Under International Law: Israeli settlements are considered a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which outlaws an occupying power from transferring its own civilian population into occupied territory. A landmark International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in July 2024 declared Israel's occupation and settlement activity illegal and called for it to end "as rapidly as possible."

The new outposts are strategically spread across the West Bank, from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south. According to the anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now, many are located near densely populated Palestinian areas, further fragmenting Palestinian communities. The approval notably includes Ganim and Kadim, two settlements east of Jenin that were dismantled as part of Israel's 2005 disengagement plan.

This expansion physically entrenches the occupation, carving up Palestinian land with a network of Israeli-only highways and a separation barrier that stretches for more than 700 kilometers. The physical division is compounded by a documented rise in settler violence; the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded nearly 3,000 attacks on Palestinians over the past two years.

The Netanyahu government has been explicit in its opposition to Palestinian statehood. [quote] "On the ground, we are blocking the establishment of a Palestinian terror state," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler himself, said in a statement following the approval.

This policy aligns with the permissive stance adopted by US President Donald Trump's administration, which in 2019 reversed long-standing US policy by stating that settlements were not inherently illegal. This contrasts sharply with actions from other Western allies, including the UK, Australia, and Canada, who have sanctioned top Israeli officials and, in some cases, recognized Palestinian statehood this year in a bid to preserve the two-state solution.

[PRISM Insight] The One-State Reality on the Ground: While the international community continues to discuss a theoretical two-state solution, Israel's relentless settlement expansion is creating an irreversible one-state reality. This reality is not one of equal rights but of permanent occupation and fragmentation. The move suggests that even as diplomatic efforts focus on a Gaza ceasefire, the core drivers of the broader conflict are intensifying, locking in conditions that make a sustainable peace more distant than ever.