Settlement Expansion Plans
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir defended his long-standing calls for military action in Gaza and pledged continued settlement expansion during a ceremony to lay the cornerstone for a new neighbourhood in Hinanit, in the northern West Bank, an area Israel refers to as northern Samaria.
“We are winning,” Ben-Gvir said, describing the project as a transition “From a period of stagnation, into a period of growth, of development, of blooming.”
He also said he had been the only cabinet minister calling to ‘bomb Gaza’ before the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Ben-Gvir’s Gaza Remarks
“I was the only minister there who talked about ‘let’s bomb Gaza, bomb Gaza, bomb Gaza’. They looked at me like some kind of madman,” he said.
“What I am so happy about is that today almost all of Israel understands what we have been talking about for years: security, determination, death to terrorists, ending the summer camps, weapons for everyone, rapid response teams, National Guard, and settlement throughout the entire Land of Israel because it is ours, this is our home, and this is our country.”
His remarks came after the Israeli government approved an 8.5 billion-shekel ($2.3 billion) framework agreement to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, including plans for 12,000 new housing units and major infrastructure projects.
Global Legal Dispute
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes. In a July 2024 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice said Israel’s settlement policy and continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory violated international law.
Article by Viory
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