Jerusalem (EFE).- Hamas condemned on Thursday the Special Planning and Construction Committee of the Gush Etzion settlement’s approval of the plan to build 1,300 new homes in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, calling it “a serious escalation of settlement policy.”
In a statement released on its official channels, the Islamist organization said the plan is part of “a campaign led by Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician, with the aim of imposing a settlement reality that fragments the West Bank and separates Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings.”
Hamas described the initiative as “a flagrant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions” regarding settlements, and urged the international community to “assume its legal and political responsibilities in the face of this escalation.”
On Wednesday, Israeli Channel 14 reported that the Special Planning and Construction Committee of the Gush Etzion settlement unanimously approved an urban project including the construction of 1,300 new homes in the Alon Shvut settlement, also south of Jerusalem.
The media outlet stated that the urban plan includes not only housing but also schools, public buildings, parks, and a commercial area.
The Gush Etzion Regional Council celebrated the plan’s approval and said it is “an adequate response to the large population interested in living in the area.”
This initiative coincides with increased tensions in the West Bank, where there have been continuous episodes of violence by both the Israeli army and settlers, who have attacked villages and burned Palestinian cars despite the Gaza ceasefire.
Attacks have intensified in recent weeks amid the olive harvest season.
October 2025 registered the highest number of settler attacks since the UNRWA began documenting them in 2013. EFE
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