![Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich displays a map of an area near the settlement of Maale Adumim, a land corridor known as E1, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, on August 14, 2025. [Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-44.jpg)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday highlighted his government’s expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, describing the approval of new settlements as the fulfillment of campaign promises. In a post on the social media platform X, Smotrich wrote: “The construction of 104 new settlements is just some of the promises fulfilled.” He added: “As I promised, we are proceeding with the establishment of new settlements,” arguing that they serve as “a protective wall” for Israeli cities including Ra’anana, Tel Aviv, Givatayim, and Jerusalem. On 15th July, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the establishment of a new settlement in the West Bank. At the time, Smotrich said that since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government took office in late […]
