i24NEWS
Israeli cabinet quietly authorizes 34 new settlements in swift move
Inon Shalom Yttach
April 9, 2026
The Israeli cabinet has quietly greenlit the construction of 34 new settlements across the West Bank. The authorization marks the largest single approval of outposts in a single step, nearly doubling the recent total from 69 to 103. What makes this expansion particularly significant is the location of the approved sites. Several are situated deep within Palestinian enclaves in the northern West Bank, while others are located in remote, rugged areas where the IDF currently maintains almost no permanent presence. Establishing civilian outposts in these “unreachable” points creates a massive new security and logistical burden for the military, which is already stretched thin. This “one-step” surge reflects a major shift in government policy, moving away from incremental approvals toward a sweeping consolidation of the Israeli presence in the most isolated regions of the territory. READ MORE