Key facts
- Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the start of a "settlement revolution."
- The "settlement revolution" is planned to extend to the Negev and Galilee regions.
- Israel's Security Cabinet approved the establishment of 13 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
- Palestinian officials and rights groups expressed concern that the expansion would hinder the possibility of a Palestinian state.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the government has initiated a "settlement revolution," which he intends to expand beyond the occupied West Bank to include the Negev and Galilee regions. Smotrich stated on X, "I've got news for you: We've only just begun the revolution in settlement. We'll get to the Negev and the Galilee too."