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Israel Greenlights USD270M Road Construction Plan in Occupied West Bank
(MENAFN) Israel's cabinet has approved over one billion shekels — approximately $270 million — to finance a network of roads connecting illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The Israeli daily said the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on the funding to construct new road infrastructure linking settlement outposts throughout the occupied territory. In its opening phase, roughly three million shekels — around $1 million — will be set aside to develop the plan and finalize preliminary design work, which must be submitted back to the cabinet for formal approval within 45 days, the newspaper reported, citing an official government statement.
The statement noted that funding for subsequent development stages would be drawn from an additional allocation within the Finance Ministry's budget. No details were provided regarding the specific locations where construction is planned.
Settlement Expansion Accelerates Under Netanyahu
The budget approval reflects a broader pattern of intensified settlement activity that has characterized Netanyahu's government since it took office in late 2022, with construction expanding at a significant pace across the West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
Approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers currently reside across the West Bank — among them around 250,000 in East Jerusalem alone — in communities that are considered illegal under international law, according to Palestinian estimates.
The announcement also arrives against the backdrop of sustained violence in the territory. Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians in the West Bank, wounded approximately 11,750 others, and detained nearly 22,000 people, according to Palestinian figures.
The move stands in direct defiance of a landmark ruling issued by the International Court of Justice in July 2024, in which the court declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the full evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — a legal determination that Tel Aviv has yet to acknowledge or act upon.
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