Israel approves plan to legalize 19 West Bank settlements

Israel's security Cabinet approved a plan to legalize 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, local media reported Friday.

The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting held late Thursday, when Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented the proposal to formalize 19 settlements in the West Bank.

Some of the sites are newly established, while others already exist and will now be granted formal status.

Among the settlements cited were Ganim and Kadim, which were evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel's disengagement plan that also included the removal of settlements from the Gaza Strip, Channel 14 reported.

Channel 14 reported the decision marks a "full return" to settlements in the northern West Bank, referring to the area by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria. The outlet described the move as a major shift in settlement policy and said it was driven by Smotrich.

The report said an accelerated planning process will now begin to implement the political decision to establish and legalize the settlements, in line with the Cabinet's approval.

The Israeli left-wing group Peace Now says about 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in occupied East Jerusalem.

Expanding and formally annexing the West Bank would effectively end the possibility of implementing a two-state solution—an Israeli and a Palestinian state—as outlined in UN resolutions.

Israel was established in 1948 on Palestinian land, and later occupied the remaining Palestinian territories. Successive Israeli governments have rejected withdrawal and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.