The Israeli regime issued a military order to seize more than 5,000 square meters of Palestinian land in the al-Khalil governorate, in the West Bank, according to the WAFA news agency. This area, located on the outskirts of the towns of Sa’ir and al-Shuyoukh, is designated for the construction of a settlers-only road linking the illegal outposts of Asfar and Pnei Kedem.

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Such a territory takeover was approved under the excuse of “military and security purposes,” allowing for the creation of new infrastructure aimed at facilitating settler movement while severely restricting Palestinian access.

Data compiled by Israeli news outlets shows there has been a 40% rise in the number of settlements under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

In this context, Keshet 12 reported that several ministers from Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana are urging the Zionist administration to immediately annex the occupied territory, as the political right in Israel intensifies pressure for full annexation. This includes efforts to legalize existing outposts and accelerate settlement construction in strategic areas.

The channel noted that the scope and pace of settlement expansion are higher than ever before. Meir Deutsch, CEO of the far-right Regavim movement, remarked, “No government has ever encouraged settlement as much as this one (…) Israel is managing Judea and Samaria as the homeowner for the first time since the state’s establishment (1948/Palestinian Nakba).”

Earlier this year, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese stressed that what Israel is doing in the West Bank is shameful and illegal, but not surprising. She also pointed out that genocidal violence has been occurring since before October 7, 2023.

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