Israel Plans 763 New Settlement Units in West Bank

Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Minister, announced plans to construct 763 new settlement units in the Eli settlement located south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Overseen by the Binyamin Regional Council, the expansion is expected to triple the settlement's size and accommodate thousands of additional settlers.

Smotrich stated that Israel intends to continue developing settlement farms and communities. He noted that the government has approved 104 new settlements and 160 agricultural outposts since late 2022.

Palestinian officials and the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission warned that these expansions are paving the way for the formal annexation of the West Bank. The commission reported 3,488 settler attacks against Palestinians during the first half of 2026, claiming these violent actions killed 17 Palestinians and undermine the possibility of an independent Palestinian state.