Jerusalem: 2025 closed as a record-breaking year for illegal Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, with Israel's far-right coalition approving an unprecedented number of new settlements and housing projects-a push rights groups say is aimed at annexing the territory and blocking Palestinian statehood.
According to Anadolu Agency, Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now reported that the approvals finalized this year capped an acceleration that began under the current government, surpassing any period since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. Yonatan Mizrachi of Peace Now's Settlement Watch Team highlighted the government's aim to prevent a political solution based on a two-state solution.
Peace Now disclosed that plans for 41 new illegal settlements were approved in 2025, marking the most extensive single year of settlement approvals on record. This includes newly announced settlements and the retroactive legalization of previously unauthorized outposts. In May, the Security Cabinet approved the construction of 22 new illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, which included the reestablishment of settlements in Homesh and Sa-Nur.
On December 21, the Security Cabinet approved a plan to legalize 19 more settlements, some newly established and others long-standing outposts now granted formal status. Mizrachi noted the government moved quickly after taking office, legalizing 10 outposts in early 2023 and transforming nine of them into settlements. Outposts are illegal even under Israeli law, while settlements are considered legal by Israel despite being illegal under international law.
The expansion is geographically extensive, reaching areas where no settlements previously existed. Mizrachi explained that the plan includes 68 settlements spread from the south to the north of the West Bank, including areas around Jenin and Hebron. In early 2023, there were approximately 140 settlements in the occupied West Bank, and with recent approvals, that number has risen to 208.
Settlement expansion has also seen a rise in construction approvals. Peace Now stated on its website that Israeli authorities advanced plans for 28,163 settler housing units in 2025-the highest figure ever recorded. On the final day of the year, authorities approved a plan allowing settlers to return to Sa-Nur, with 126 housing units greenlit at the site evacuated in 2005.
Mizrachi emphasized that settlement expansion is central to the government's strategy to prevent Palestinian statehood without formally declaring annexation. The government has taken steps to increase the number of Israeli settlers, making it more difficult to evacuate settlements in any future political solution.
Yair Dvir, spokesperson for B'Tselem, noted that the settlement drive is accompanied by the forcible displacement of Palestinians, with Israel advancing ethnic cleansing through construction and retroactive legalization of outposts and new settlements.
Looking ahead, Mizrachi stated that settlement expansion is likely to continue into 2026, an election year in Israel, with financial support to settlers possibly increasing. He noted that since October 2023, dozens of Palestinian communities have been forced to flee due to settler violence, highlighting the growing instability in the region.