How Israel is expanding settlements in drive to reshape West Bank

In September, during a ceremony at a West Bank settlement, Israel's prime minister clarified his stance. He said, "We are going to fulfill our committedness that determination volition beryllium nary Palestinian state," and added, "This spot belongs to us." He was signing a statement to advance the expansion of a settlement in the area known as E1, just east of Jerusalem. Recently, the opening of tenders for the construction of about 1,200 settlement homes on strategically important land has drawn widespread condemnation. All settlements are illegal under international law, and, under global pressure, Israel had refrained for decades from building in the area. After the announcement, the UN secretary‑general said they posed an "existential threat" to a future Palestinian state, while a joint statement by the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada called the plans "unacceptable" and said they would "drive a wedge done the West Bank," a view echoed by the European Union. That position was welcomed by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, who urged the signatories to take "concrete measures to halt the implementation of the E1 plan." Along with Gaza and the Golan Heights, the West Bank was captured during the 1967 war against a coalition of Arab states. Israel has controlled it ever since. As occupied territory, international law prohibits Israel from settling there. Despite that, the number of Israelis living there has grown over the years. Israel has built roughly 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews since 1967. There has been a notable increase in the pace of settlement construction since 2022, when Netanyahu returned to power at the head of a right‑wing, pro‑settler coalition, further accelerating after the outbreak of the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. One example is Tzofim, a settlement in the northwest of the territory, where BBC Verify analysis of satellite imagery shows the addition of roughly 185 new structures since 2022. A similar pattern can be seen near Kochav Hashahar, where the existing settlement has expanded in multiple directions, with work on roads, houses and a new settler outpost on surrounding land. Hundreds of outposts — illegal under both Israeli and international law — have been established since the 1990s. Dozens have been retrospectively legalised by the government. Perhaps the most contentious is the aforementioned E1 settlement. To understand why, one must examine maps of its projected location. The development would effectively split the West Bank into two parts and isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory. Opponents warn that it would effectively block the creation of a Palestinian state because it would cut off the northern West Bank from the south and prevent the growth of a contiguous Palestinian municipal area linking Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Peace Now, an Israeli anti‑settlement watchdog that has challenged the plans in court, said: "The government is trying to sign contracts with contractors before the (upcoming October) elections so that it will be much harder for the next government to cancel the construction." It is not only settlements that have been expanding. Over the past few years, much of the responsibility for administering the West Bank has shifted from military authority to a civilian administration headed by Bezalel Smotrich, the country's far‑right finance minister. This has led to a substantial rise in the number of roads that cross the West Bank, linking settlements while dividing Palestinian towns and villages, something he said "ensures that the settlements will not remain insubstantial — but will be established on the ground." In May of this year, the Israeli government announced more than one billion shekels ($360m; £246m) in funding for new road construction in the West Bank, with the aim of "strengthening their grip on the territory," according to an official press release. There has also been an escalation of settler violence against Palestinians. Recently, two Palestinian homes were besieged by settlers, with their water and electricity cut, prompting US Ambassador Mike Huckabee — usually a vocal supporter of settlements — to denounce the attack as a "criminal and violent act." All of this has led to fears among Palestinians in the West Bank and supporters of Palestinian statehood that the "facts on the ground" will render a two‑state solution unviable. According to some senior Israeli ministers, that is the objective. Speaking in 2024, Smotrich said the construction of E1 would help "establish sovereignty in Judea and Samaria (a term for the occupied West Bank used by Israel), first on the ground and then through legislation… My life's goal is to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state." The recent news that the tender has been put out for construction of E1 comes just a couple of months before highly consequential and tightly contested elections in Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners will hope that moves like this appeal to their base and boost their chances of victory. If that proves unattainable, they may believe that settlement expansion has created new "facts on the ground," ones that cannot be undone. Additional reporting by Barbara Metzler, BBC Verify. Graphics by Tom Shiel and Mesut Ersoz.