Under the smoke of war. Israel secretly pushes for settlement expansion

 Israeli media have revealed  an unprecedented acceleration in the pace of settlement in the occupied West Bank, as the Cabinet approved the establishment of 34 new settlements.

According to Ynet, a subsidiary of the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the ratification took place during the height of the war with Iran, which  broke out in late February, and was kept in complete secrecy at the request of the United States to avoid provoking diplomatic crises during the conflict.

Warnings of Serious Stress

Despite the political orientation of the expansion, opposition emerged from within the military establishment to the Israeli occupation entity, as Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Chief of Staff of the occupation army,  Eyal Zamir, warned during the "Red Flags" meeting of enormous pressures on the army's manpower, pointing  out that the army may be unable to perform its tasks in light of the escalation of settler violence and the heavy burden of protecting dozens of new settlement sites, considering that the plan poses a security risk at a sensitive time.

For   its part, an anti-settlement organization called "Peace Now" revealed that the secret cabinet meeting was held on April 1, explaining  that these 34 settlements raise the total number of units decided by the current government to 102 settlements.

The organization stressed that the government is rushing to impose "facts on the ground" ahead of the elections, noting that the plan includes legalizing outposts that were considered "illegal" under Israeli law, such as the settlement of "Yeshuv Hadat."

Redrawing the reality of the West Bank

This move comes under the direct leadership of Israeli government ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Yisrael Katz, and according to reports, the new settlements are distributed throughout the West Bank, including the northern areas that were evacuated in 2005. Political observers believe  that these steps aim to permanently reshape the demographic and geographical map of the West Bank, taking advantage of the world's preoccupation with regional wars.

These decisions coincide with the escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians, as  statistics indicate  that more than 175 farms and outposts have been established since October 7, 2023, and despite US and international calls for restraint, reports confirm that 90% of cases of settler violence are closed without charges, amid accusations of Israeli government ministers  such as Ben Gvir and Smotrich of providing tacit support to these groups.