Sanaa: Israel's Security Cabinet has approved the construction of a new illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Wednesday, bringing the number of settlements authorized by the Benjamin Netanyahu government to 104 since 2022.

According to Anadolu Agency, Smotrich announced via a post on the US social media platform X that his proposal to establish a new settlement near the existing settlement of Sanur in the northern West Bank had been approved by the Cabinet. This move raises the total number of illegal settlements approved by the current government since it took office in late 2022 to 104.

Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, described the decision as part of a "historic revolution" in the occupied West Bank. He claimed that the expansion of settlements would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and serve as a "defensive wall" for several Israeli cities.

The announcement comes as illegal Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank are accelerating, ahead of Israel's general election scheduled for October 27. Just a day earlier, reports from Israeli media suggested that the Security Cabinet had secretly approved a plan in March 2026 to establish 34 new illegal settlements across the region.

The United Nations has consistently affirmed that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law, warning that such actions undermine prospects for a two-state solution.