ALBAWABA - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that his government has begun what he called a "settlement revolution," emphasizing that this policy is not limited to the West Bank but also includes future expansion plans in the Negev and Galilee regions within Israel.
According to Hebrew media outlets, Smotrich added that the current phase represents the beginning of a "radical change" in settlement policy and urban planning, indicating that the government will work to strengthen the Palestinian population and expand settlements in areas it considers strategic.
These statements come amid escalating rhetoric within the Israeli government supporting settlement expansion, particularly in the West Bank, where recent years have witnessed a surge in settlement construction and the approval of thousands of new housing units.
Palestinian members of the al-Atrash family sit and watch as Israeli security forces demolish their family home and shops, citing the lack of a building permit, in the village of Qilqes. HAZEM BADER / AFP
The reference to the Negev and Galilee is also linked to broader government policies aimed at bolstering demographic development and infrastructure in these areas, which are home to a majority of Palestinian citizens of Israel, alongside Jewish communities.
Israeli settlement policies face frequent criticism from the Palestinian side and international human rights organizations, which consider settlement expansion in the occupied territories a violation of international law and an undermining of the prospects for a two-state solution.
