Israeli occupation authorities to discuss plan for 1,500 settlement units in West Bank

WEST BANK, Feb. 23 (YPA) – The Higher Planning Council of Israeli occupation authorities will discuss plans on Wednesday to build 1,517 settlement units across the occupied West Bank, Hebrew media reported.

The watchdog group Peace Now, which monitors Israeli settlement activity, said that of the four plans on the agenda, 1,388 units are intended for a new neighborhood in the Kedumim settlement, east of Qalqilya in northern West Bank, to be called “Nahlat Ester.”

The planned neighborhood will be located just south of the Palestinian village of Jit and will effectively bring Kedumim closer to the Havat Gilad settlement to its southeast.

Peace Now noted that dozens of units already exist at the site, and the new plan would expand the area significantly to accommodate thousands of settlers.

With the upcoming discussion, the total number of settlement units approved by the Higher Planning Council in 2026 would reach 2,425. In 2025, a record 27,941 units were approved, the highest number since the establishment of the West Bank settlement enterprise.

The current right-wing Israeli government has stepped up settlement construction in East Quds (Jerusalem) and across the West Bank. Peace Now estimates that over 700,000 settlers currently live in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The United Nations and the international community consider Israeli settlements in the territories occupied in 1967 to be illegal under international law.

They have repeatedly called on “Israel” to halt settlement activity, warning that it undermines the prospects for resolving the conflict through a two-state solution.

@E.Y.M