Ankara: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans on Saturday for the construction of 763 new settlement units in the Eli settlement, located south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. This development is anticipated to triple the settlement's size in the forthcoming years.

According to Anadolu Agency, Smotrich emphasized Israel's commitment to building settlement farms and communities, as reported by Israel's Channel 14. The expansion project will be undertaken in the Eli settlement, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Binyamin Regional Council in the occupied West Bank.

Channel 14 further reported that the implementation of these plans is expected to significantly increase the settlement's capacity, allowing it to accommodate thousands more settlers. The expansion reflects the Israeli government's pro-settlement stance, as repeatedly stated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration.

Earlier this month, Smotrich highlighted that the government has sanctioned the establishment of 104 new settlements and 160 agricultural settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank since assuming office in late 2022. Currently, approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers reside in 141 settlements and 224 settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian figures.

The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that settlers have conducted 3,488 attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the first half of 2026. These incidents include assaults on villages, arson attacks, shootings, land seizures, and the establishment of new settlement outposts. The commission noted that these attacks resulted in the deaths of 17 Palestinians.

Palestinian officials caution that ongoing settlement expansion and settler violence may lead to Israel's formal annexation of the occupied West Bank, threatening the feasibility of an independent Palestinian state as envisioned in relevant United Nations resolutions.