Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep establishing settlements in the West Bank despite mounting international pressure, promising a major wave of immigration to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu, who is facing tight elections in October, leads one of the most right-wing governments in Israel's history that has rapidly approved construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
The outposts, often made up of just a few mobile homes or makeshift structures, are illegal even under Israeli law, but their approval and legalization have surged in recent years.
"We cannot ignore the numbers: 104 communities that we established and legalized together, and 160 farms, with more to come," Netanyahu told an event for settlers late on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office.
He told attendees: "You are fulfilling the vision of the Land of Israel, and this is our land.
"You are preparing the ground for a very large wave of immigration that will come," he added, hailing "a tremendous effort by the government to fulfil the vision of generations".
Israel has faced growing international outrage over its settlement expansion, as violence by settlers against Palestinians soars.
Last week, key European leaders condemned a major settlement project after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area.
The E1 plan was given the green light by Israel last year and threatens the territorial contiguity of the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, further dimming prospects for a functioning independent Palestinian state.
Israel has since 1967 occupied the West Bank, where more than 500,000 Israelis now live in settlements. The territory is home to about three million Palestinians.
Netanyahu's government, which contains ministers who openly call for the territory's annexation, is advancing more construction ahead of October 27 elections.
Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers has increased dramatically since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.
- US pressure -
US Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged Netanyahu to rein in a "surge" of violence by West Bank settlers and mass arrests of Palestinians by Israeli security forces in the occupied territory.
In the letter to Netanyahu, seen by Reuters and signed by 42 of the Senate's 47-member Democratic caucus, the lawmakers noted increasing levels of "fatal violence by settlers."
They also appealed to Israel's leader to step up investigations into the deaths of nine American citizens they said have been killed by settlers or security forces in the West Bank since 2022.
The "significant surge" of violence in recent weeks has resulted in "a large-scale response by Israeli security forces, mass arrests of Palestinians, and reported attacks by settlers on mosques," the letter stated.
The letter marks the latest sign of growing friction between Democrats in Congress and the Israeli government over its handling of the West Bank, with many in the party also calling for curbs on US military aid to Israel over its conduct of the war in Gaza.
It was drafted by Senator Adam Schiff of California, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York – long one of Israel's most prominent supporters in Congress – and Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Last week, an Israeli man guarding a group of Jewish settlers walked onto Palestinian land and opened fire toward civilians, killing a 17-year-old and a 70-year-old man, officials said.
The senators urged Netanyahu to issue clear instructions to Israeli police and military to prevent and intervene in violent West Bank confrontations "regardless of the perpetrators."
Rights groups have repeatedly documented how Israeli forces are slow to respond to settler violence in Palestinian communities – or stand by as attacks are carried out. Israeli officials have said authorities including the president and prime minister have repeatedly condemned violence against Palestinians.
The letter also called on the Israeli government to stop approving additional settlements and construction of "illegal outposts in the West Bank" and to take steps to remove existing outposts.
Democrats in Congress and many of the party's candidates running in this year's midterm elections have become increasingly critical of Netanyahu and his government in the wake of Israel's war in Gaza.
More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to Gaza health officials, which began after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Nearly 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed in the assault and more than 250 people were taken hostage.
Amid a flagging US-brokered peace deal in Gaza, and escalating settler violence in the West Bank, many Democrats have called for either significantly curtailing – or completely shutting off – billions of dollars in annual US military aid to Israel.
President Donald Trump has said little about the situation in the West Bank. His ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has denounced militant settlers as "Israeli terrorists" and told Reuters this month that those responsible for besieging the Palestinian village of Qusra could face US sanctions.
