The settlement revolution
Israel Approves 764 New Housing Units in Judea and Samaria, Bringing Term Total to Record 51,370
Finance Minister Smotrich announces new units to be built in three communities in Judea and Samaria. New program also includes plans for 18 new communities, breaking records for one Government.
Israel on Wednesday approved 764 new housing units across three communities in Judea and Samaria, continuing what Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich called an unprecedented building boom.
The Higher Planning Council signed off on 478 units in Hashmonaim, 230 in Beitar Illit, and 56 in Givat Ze’ev. All three plans received full statutory authorization.
The latest approvals bring the total number of units advanced or given final approval since the start of the current government to 51,370, which Smotrich’s office described as an all-time high for a single term.
The building push comes alongside a sweeping NIS 2.7 billion budget initiative that the Finance Ministry is promoting for Judea and Samaria. The program includes plans for establishing 18 new communities, strengthening 36 communities undergoing the regulation process, upgrading existing infrastructure, opening new roads, and significantly expanding security investments.
Smotrich said the approvals were not episodic but part of a coordinated strategy.
“We continue the revolution,” he said. “Today’s approval of 764 additional housing units in the Higher Planning Council is part of a clear strategic move to strengthen settlement and ensure continuity of life, security and growth. We plan and approve not with slogans but through orderly, consistent, responsible work.”
He added that surpassing 51,000 approved units reflects “Zionism in action, linking security, settlement, and development, and ensuring the future of the State of Israel.”
While most of the international community maintains that Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria violates international law, Israel disputes that interpretation and continues to treat the region as central to its long-term national and security planning.