The Israeli government is set to approve a budget exceeding NIS 1 billion dedicated to road construction and improvements connecting West Bank settlements.
The Finance Ministry confirmed the allocation, noting that the plan will also encompass infrastructure for any new settlements approved in the future.
This spending decision reinforces the structural expansion of Israeli presence in the occupied territories, a trend that has accelerated significantly since October 2023.
Advocacy groups, including Bimkom, have documented a sharp increase in the use of military orders to expand settlement jurisdiction, warning that the pace of land acquisition amounts to a de facto annexation.
The move is likely to deepen diplomatic tensions with Western allies, particularly the European Union and the United States, which have repeatedly criticized settlement expansion as an obstacle to a two-state solution.
The infrastructure investment signals a long-term commitment to the settlements' viability, complicating future negotiations.