Settlements

The settlement revolution: How Bezalel Smotrich changed Israel's map for the better - opinion

Since the current government took office at the end of 2022, it has approved the establishment or retroactive legalization of 104 Jewish communities there.

FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich attends a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Karmei Yehuda community in the Hebron Hills, Sept. 27.
ISI AND TUVIA TENENBOM look out over the Judean Hills.

'Excuse Me, Is This Yours?': Before you boycott settlers, meet them - review

Dag Juliussen, head of the Christian Embassy’s Norwegian branch, visiting the Psagot winery.

Thousands of Christians visit West Bank settlements in support after European sanctions, trade bans

 Ronald Visee holds a Netherlands flag flying at half-mast

Dutch Jewish leader warns of growing pressure on Jews after Netherlands sanctions - interview


Ireland's parliament passes bill banning imports from Israeli settlements

This makes Ireland the first EU member state to implement such a ban; however, Spain notably started applying restrictions on imports from Israeli settlements in October 2025.

PROTESTERS CALL on the Irish government to impose sanctions on Israel, in Dublin, last month. Over the years, Ireland has taken a more anti-Israel position than most European or Western nations, states the writer.

Smotrich says plans for northern Gaza settlements await Netanyahu's approval

The finance minister’s statements calling for West Bank and Gaza annexation often draw sharp international condemnation, as well as criticism for harming Israel’s global standing.

FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference ahead of the vote on the state budget at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026.

The Association for Civil Rights petitions against the tax benefits law for settlements

The petitioners claim that the criteria were artificially tailored while silencing the positions of the Tax Authority and the Budget Department, which opposed the move.

Bezalel Smotrich

Smotrich claims historic Hebron shift as Israel advances new building plans

This is the first approval of its kind since the signing of the Hebron Agreement in 1997, under which restrictions related to the Jewish community were subject to approval by the Hebron municipality.

AN AERIAL view shows the Cave of the Patriarchs, a site sacred to Jews and Muslims, in the city of Hebron, November 2, 2020.

Palestinian shot after allegedly threatening farmer in West Bank settlement - report

According to the farm's owners, the Palestinian trespassed onto their property and attempted to attack the resident when the farmer approached him to investigate the situation. 

A shepherd leads a herd of goats near the Palestinian village of al-Auja in the Jordan Valley, West Bank, January 11, 2026.

West Bank settlements are Israel's forward position, and its first line of defense - opinion

Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig recently captured the moral complexity of life in this land through a powerful analogy from the film A Few Good Men.

 DR. SHMUEL HARRIS (L) and Rosensweig, authors of ‘Nafshi Bish’elati: The Halachot of Mental Health.’

UK MP urges investigation into 32 charities for donating £28m to Israeli settlements

MP Melanie Ward, former chief executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians, has submitted a complaint to the Charity Commission regarding the charities, which she said are funding "illegal settlements."

British MK Melanie Ward visiting NATO headquarters on June 7, 2026.

Israel set to approve funding plan for 61 West Bank settlements - report

Axios's Barak Ravid reported on X/Twitter that the proposal is scheduled to be brought before the cabinet for approval. Additional details about the plan were not immediately available.

View of the settlement of Sa-Nur in the West Bank, April 19, 2026.

Some 140 UK Labour MPs urge government to ban trade with West Bank settlements

The letter noted that countries such as Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium have either already implemented bans or are in the process of doing so.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at the UN Security Council, New York, February 18, 2026; illustrative.

Paris misreads Israeli reality: Sanctioning settlers won't bring Palestinian statehood - editorial

If the Europeans hope their sanctions will bend Israel’s will, they are deeply misreading the Israeli public. Such actions will be used in the upcoming election campaign to bolster the Right.

THE ACTIVIST group Extinction Rebellion Paris (XR) staged a protest to commemorate the anniversary of the Nakba by unfurling a large Palestinian flag on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, on May 15, 2026.