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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced plans to construct 763 new housing units in the Eli settlement in the occupied West Bank, a move that is expected to significantly expand the settlement’s size in the coming years.
Smotrich said Israel would continue developing settlement farms and communities across the occupied territory, according to Israel’s Channel 14.
The planned housing units will be built in Eli, a settlement located south of Nablus and administered under the Binyamin Regional Council. Channel 14 reported that the expansion is expected to triple the size of the settlement, allowing thousands of additional Israeli settlers to move into the area.
The announcement comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continues to face international criticism over settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. The administration has repeatedly been described by Israeli officials as one of the country’s most supportive governments of settlement growth.
Earlier this month, Smotrich said Israel had approved the establishment of 104 new settlements and 160 agricultural outposts in the occupied West Bank since the government took office in late 2022.
Palestinian figures estimate that about 750,000 Israeli settlers currently live in 141 settlements and 224 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission has also reported a rise in settler-related attacks, recording 3,488 incidents targeting Palestinians and their property during the first half of 2026. The incidents included attacks on villages, arson, shootings, land seizures and the creation of new settlement outposts, with the commission saying 17 Palestinians were killed.
Palestinian officials have warned that continued settlement expansion and settler violence are undermining efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state based on relevant United Nations resolutions. They have also accused Israel of using settlement growth as a step towards the possible annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Israel has maintained that settlements are part of its security and historical claims, while much of the international community considers settlements built in occupied territory illegal under international law.
