Colonial Revival: Israel approves 22 New Settlements in the West Bank

By Yan Zixuan

TEL AVIV - The Israeli government officially approved the construction of 22 new settlements in the West Bank on May 29, 2025. It is the largest settlement expansion in decades.

The West Bank, encompassing 5,879 square kilometers, holds profound religious and ideological significance for Israel. Regarded in the Hebrew Bible as part of the “Promised Land” granted to the Jewish forefathers, it is framed by figures such as former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as a restoration of ancestral heritage rather than territorial appropriation.

Gallant stated: “All newly established communities are part of a long-term strategic vision aimed at strengthening Israel’s control over the area, preventing the creation of a Palestinian state, and securing resources for the future expansion of settlements.” （Information Source: CNN; Image Source: AFP)

Strategically, the territory constitutes a pivotal component of the Zionist vision to establish a sovereign Jewish state extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. Israel occupied the West Bank following the 1967 Six-Day War. The 1995 Oslo II Accord ceded only limited, fragmented areas to the Palestinian Authority. 

The latest settlement expansion further erodes Palestinian territorial integrity, damaging their livelihoods, security, and economic prospects. This violates international peace agreements such as the Oslo Accords and the Geneva Conventions. 

The territory Israel seeks to annex extends beyond Gaza and the West Bank to include East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. In the documentary The Settlers, BBC’s journalist Louis interviewed several far-right settlers who showed no remorse for collaborating with the military to raid refugee camps with tanks and demolish existing buildings to evict Palestinians and seize the land forcibly.

Louis visits Daniella Weiss at home and hears about her settler vision: “We do for the governments what they cannot do for themselves!”.

(Source: Click here to play the video)

The government’s new plan will legitimise past settler efforts, consolidate the occupation, and further undermine the two-state solution. It has drawn widespread international condemnation for its colonialist agenda.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over war crimes and G7 foreign ministers have condemned the settlement expansion as potentially genocidal. 

BBC producer Charlie Taylor said that although the media can't push for military action, transparent reporting can expose the suffering and stir global conscience.

“As a result of our own colonial past, I feel an empathy for Palestinians. It’s a painful echo of history repeating itself.”, Malaysia university student Annabel said.