'Israel's' Smotrich says he’s proud of West Bank settlement expansion
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- ‘Israeli’ Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he is proud of the government’s expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
- He said the measures aim to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and described the changes as the beginning of broader efforts.
Far-right ‘Israeli’ Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has praised the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, following a report by settlement watchdog Peace Now documenting government measures and steps toward annexation.
Smotrich said his government was reversing policies pursued over the past 30 years and that he was proud of the settlement expansion carried out under his oversight.
‘Preventing a Palestinian state’
Smotrich said the measures are intended to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, adding that the changes taking place across the occupied West Bank are only the beginning.
He also rejected Peace Now’s description of the government’s policies as annexation, instead framing them as efforts by ‘Israel’ to establish what he called a necessary security zone.
The comments come amid continued settlement expansion and growing international criticism of ‘Israeli’ policies in the occupied West Bank.
