Israel is ready to invest $338 million in West Bank settlements, according to an NGO

The Israeli government is expected to review on Thursday a plan allocating one billion shekels, or approximately $338 million, for the development of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The information was revealed by the Israeli anti-settlement organization Peace Now, which denounces this as a further acceleration of settlement expansion.

According to the NGO, these funds would be used to build new settlements and connect existing sites to essential infrastructure, including roads, water networks, and other public services. The project is reportedly being spearheaded by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a prominent figure in the Israeli far right and a longtime advocate of settlement expansion.

Bezalel Smotrich has repeatedly stated his opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state. He views settlement development as a means of strengthening the Israeli presence in the West Bank and making any future territorial partition unrealistic.

According to the official schedule from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, ministers are also expected to discuss the establishment of several temporary sites already approved in the occupied territories. However, no official document currently indicates whether the funding mentioned will actually be approved at this meeting.

The issue of settlements remains one of the main points of contention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live among some 2,7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The international community largely considers these settlements to be contrary to international law, a position rejected by Israel.

The announcement of this project comes amid persistent tensions in the Palestinian territories. Critics believe that further settlement expansion could further complicate the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the conflict and reignite tensions on the ground.