Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank is no longer marginal; it is now a declared state policy directed from the highest levels. It is implemented through an integrated system of governmental decisions, overt incitement, the arming of settlers, and the imposition of faits accomplis by force. What is taking place is a project of de facto annexation, reproduced daily in Area C and occupied Jerusalem, in direct defiance of international law at the expense of Palestinian human security and any future political settlement.
In this context, settlement is no longer merely geographic expansion. It is a political and security instrument used to dismantle Palestinian society, suffocate cities and villages, and destroy geographic contiguity. This unfolds amid an unprecedented escalation of official incitement that paints Palestinian civilians as targets, effectively eliminating what remains of the two-state solution, all under the indirect cover of international silence.
Cabinet Decisions: Legalising the Plunder of Land
Revelations by the Hebrew channel i24 show the Israeli cabinet recently approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank. This step reflects an unprecedented drive to impose permanent facts on the ground and a stark model of how prior political commitments are overturned.
Recent data reveal the settlement project has entered a more aggressive phase. Alongside the new settlements, the government has allocated approximately 3 billion shekels to support and expand settlement activity. This massive funding is not for “development,” as Israel claims, but to entrench colonial realities through road construction, infrastructure, and the legalisation of outposts. This violates international law and reflects a systematic policy to accelerate land control, suffocate Palestinian communities, and undermine a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.
Netanyahu: Dismantling Oslo and Incitement from the Top
In the same session, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not merely approve expansion; he delivered a speech laying the ideological groundwork for exclusion: “In Oslo, we brought an enemy into the house, and every time there was a government that wanted to continue the Oslo path, the people overthrew it.”
With this, Netanyahu announces the burial of the Oslo Accords and redefines Palestinians as an “enemy.” This discourse justifies violence, closes the door to political process, and provides cover for continued control by force.
More dangerously, Netanyahu directly told extremist ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strook: “There is a need to create more settlement points; continue your work.” This is an open official call to intensify even illegal outposts, transforming settlers into instruments of state policy.
Smotrich: Control of Land and Water as an “Achievement”
From the Jordan Valley, Smotrich delivered an equally dangerous colonial message to settlers: “We have returned to the water wells and taken control of all these areas… you are heroes, keep going.” This statement reveals the intent to seize vital resources like water, dispossess Palestinians, and frame settlement as a “heroic” act, disregarding indigenous rights entirely.
Ben Gvir: Arming Settlers and Comprehensive Incitement
In parallel, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir centralises the militarisation of settlement. His policies have expanded the arming of settlers and granted them political and security cover, escalating attacks on Palestinian villages. Ben Gvir’s incitement extends beyond Palestinians in general to target the Palestinian leadership itself, including the president. This discourse fuels hatred, promotes political violence, and transforms settlers into a quasi-militia operating under state protection.
Jerusalem: 9,000 Settlement Units to Suffocate Palestinian Neighbourhoods
As part of this broader scheme, Israel is advancing a plan to build 9,000 settlement units in the area of Jerusalem Airport north of the city, situated between Palestinian neighbourhoods. This project aims not merely at urban expansion, but to:
Separate the northern West Bank from Jerusalem.
Encircle Palestinian neighbourhoods.
Alter the city’s demographic composition.
Undermine any possibility of East Jerusalem being the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The Al-Baidar Organisation has warned that this plan constitutes a dangerous escalation designed to isolate Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings. The project seeks to disrupt geographic and demographic continuity between Jerusalem and Ramallah, undermine the two-state solution, and prevent East Jerusalem’s development as a Palestinian urban centre. It targets a densely populated area including Kafr Aqab, Qalandia, Al-Ram, Jaba‘, Beit Hanina, and Bir Nabala.
The organisation added that the so-called District Planning and Building Committee will review Plan No. 101-0764936 in a session scheduled for 17 December 2025. There are indications of accelerated implementation using budget allocations under the pretext of “land rehabilitation,” despite a previous freeze. Part of the targeted land is privately owned Palestinian property, slated for coercive seizure—a flagrant violation of property rights and international law. Implementing this project would create a settlement enclave that fragments Jerusalem further. The organisation affirms it will continue to document and expose these actions before international human rights institutions.
Conclusion: Official Incitement and an International Community That Remains Silent
What is taking place in the West Bank and Jerusalem is a declared colonial annexation project led by a state using all its institutions. The Netanyahu government provides political cover, Smotrich draws the maps and confiscates land, and Ben Gvir arms settlers and guarantees them immunity. An official discourse of hatred legitimises violence, reducing Palestinians to “targets” rather than human beings with rights. On the ground, this translates into frenetic settlement expansion, the systematic dismantling of Palestinian geography, and a daily escalation whose cost is borne by Palestinian civilians.
In this scene, the two-state solution is not just fading; it is being deliberately executed with cement, weapons, and incitement. The international community continues to limit itself to expressions of concern and formal condemnation. The question, therefore, is no longer whether Israel is undermining the two-state solution, but rather: How long will impunity remain the rule?
