Israel approves major West Bank settlement expansion plan

Israel has signed a major framework agreement to expand settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. 

The agreement, valued at around 8.5 billion shekels ($2.3 billion), was signed at a ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, FM Bezalel Smotrich, Israel Land Authority Director General Yehuda Eliyahu, and Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council.

Israeli media described the move as a significant step toward expanding settlements and upgrading infrastructure across the region. 

The plan reportedly includes the construction of around 12,000 housing units, though details on the timeline and specific locations remain unclear.

Settlement expansion in the West Bank has long been a source of international criticism. The United Nations and other international bodies consider Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal under international law, arguing that they undermine the possibility of a future two-state solution.

According to settlement monitoring groups, hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers currently live in communities established across the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. 

The United Nations has warned that expanding settlements and related policies are creating further obstacles to achieving a negotiated peace agreement.