Israel approved 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, advancing its quest for control of the territory.
The move, spearheaded by Israel’s hard-right finance minister, effectively completes the repeal of a 2005 disengagement plan that led to the evacuation of several settlements, Haaretz noted.
Israeli settlers have built a record number of new outposts in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, over the past two years.
“The goal is to win on the ground what might otherwise be lost at a negotiating table,” The New York Times wrote. The expansion, experts say, threatens the establishment of a Palestinian state, which in turn could threaten Gaza reconstruction plans and regional relations.