Israeli authorities announced Thursday the approval of 22 new Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, encompassing both newly planned settlements and the legal recognition of existing ones. Officials stated the initiative aims to strengthen Israel’s presence in the region while countering efforts to establish a Palestinian state and prevent what they describe as the forced removal of Jews.

The approved communities include the restoration of Homesh and Sa-Nur, both evacuated during the forcible eviction of Jews from Gaza in 2005, when legislation prohibited Jews from setting foot in that section of Samaria. This paved the way for Hamas’s takeover of Gaza.

According to the Defense Ministry’s announcement on Thursday, “This decision paves the way for the renewal of Jewish settlement in Homesh and Sa-Nur — a process that corrects a historic injustice and signifies a strong stance on our right to the land.”

Ministry officials praised Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who holds an additional role in the Defense Ministry, describing the security cabinet’s action as “a step that will change the face of the area and shape the future of settlement for years to come.”

The ministry explained that “the new settlements are all placed within a long-term strategic vision, whose goal is to strengthen the Israeli hold on the territory, to avoid the establishment of a Palestinian state, and to create the basis for future development of settlements in the coming decades.”

Minister Katz characterized the development as a “historic moment for settlements” and positioned it as Israel’s firm response to terrorism while sending a message to international leadership.

“Don’t threaten us with sanctions — we will not be brought to our knees, and we will not bow to threats,” Katz stated, adding: “You may recognize a Palestinian state on paper, but that paper will end up in the dustbin of history.”

The decision drew criticism from Britain’s Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer, who argued that settlements “further imperil the two-state solution, and do not protect Israel.” The “Two-State” solution is a plan to create a militarized Palestinian State inside Israel that has been ethnically cleansed of Jews and with its exclusively Muslim capital in Jerusalem.

Hamas representative Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the Israeli action as “part of the war led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people.”

AFSI Media Statement:

A leading pro-Israel organization has condemned comments by Britain’s Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, criticizing the Israeli government’s decision to approve 22 new Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) calls the British statements “wrong and immoral.”

“For three decades, Israel refrained from establishing new communities in these territories, hoping that such restraint would encourage Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to make peace. It didn’t work—all Israel received in return from Abbas and his PA henchmen was murder and incitement,” said Moshe Phillips, Chairman of AFSI. “There is not a single word in the Oslo Accords prohibiting Israel from creating new communities in the Israeli-controlled portions of Judea and Samaria. The PA signed those accords and is bound by them.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, speaking in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said: “The idea of the two-state solution is something which, on record, I supported in the past, many times. But I had a wake-up call following October 7.”

“Polls in Israel show that over two-thirds of Israelis support extending Israeli sovereignty over these territories,” added Phillips. “It is immoral for British officials to unilaterally declare where Jews can and cannot build homes for their families in Judea.”

About AFSI: Established in 1970, Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) is one of the oldest and most influential pro-Israel organizations in the United States. Its advocacy and educational campaigns serve as a potent counterweight to the rising tide of anti-Israel propaganda. AFSI is not affiliated with any political party in the United States or Israel.