Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports a plan to expand and legalize settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, local media reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, the daily Yedioth Ahronoth revealed this information from a summary of the prime minister's discussion in the National Security Council in early November. The discussion focused on educational tools to address the violence of the 'Hilltop Youth,' an extremist right-wing settler group active in the West Bank.
The official document indicates that Netanyahu endorsed the ongoing operation of these unofficial outposts, which receive government backing. Right-wing ministers promote these outposts as a means to prevent Palestinian activities in Area C, which is under full Israeli control and constitutes about 60% of the West Bank.
According to the document, Netanyahu stated that "the certified and supervised farms are a positive and necessary response to preserve Area C and to counter Palestinian activity there." Government officials present at the meeting reported that Netanyahu also directed ministries to expedite the legal regulation of these settlement outposts.
The daily reported that most grazing lands used by the settlement outposts are allocated to them by the Civil Administration, part of Israel's Defense Ministry in the Palestinian territories. The government has been working for years to formalize these outposts, which have grown to include 70 to 100 sites, with more than 15 established since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strock have expanded government funding for the outposts, channeling tens of millions of shekels from state funds over the past three years. Due to the illegal status of the outposts, funds have been directed to mobile equipment and security elements to maintain their presence on grazing lands.
Government officials regard the outposts as a tool to counter Palestinian expansion amid renewed international pressure for a future Palestinian state. The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now estimates that over half a million illegal settlers reside in West Bank settlements.
In a separate report, Israel's public broadcaster KAN noted a potential security escalation in the West Bank. The Israeli army recently launched a large-scale military offensive in the northern West Bank, involving closures of Palestinian villages and cities, widespread searches, confiscations, and home demolitions.
KAN, citing unnamed sources, suggested the offensive led to increased incitement on Palestinian social networks and the resurgence of armed operatives against Israel. The security establishment detected factors contributing to the deterioration, including the release of hundreds of detainees in past prisoner-exchange deals who have returned to the West Bank.
Since the Gaza war's outbreak in October 2023, the Israeli army has intensified its attacks in the West Bank, resulting in over 1,085 Palestinian deaths and 10,700 injuries. More than 20,500 individuals have been arrested. In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.