Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Israel’s security cabinet has approved the recognition of 19 new [squats] in the occupied West Bank as the government continues its settlement expansion push. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, said the decision was about blocking the [geographic coherence of the] Palestinian state. Israeli [squats] in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law. … Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has significantly increased the approval of new [squats]s and begun the legalisation [sic] process for unauthorised outposts, recognising them as ‘neighbourhoods’ of existing settlements.” (12/22/25)