Israel Threatens to Seize Ancient Pools Near Bethlehem, Approves 12,000 New Settlement Homes in $2.3B Land Grab
Israel is threatening to seize Solomon’s Pools, ancient water reservoirs near Bethlehem, while simultaneously signing a $2.3 billion deal to build 12,000 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, escalating its campaign to redraw the region’s map.
The Palestinian Authority has accused Israel of using roads built for Jewish settlements to fragment the occupied West Bank, making it harder to create a viable Palestinian state [199154]. Palestinian officials say the network of bypass roads, which link Israeli settlements to each other and to Israel while avoiding Palestinian towns, effectively redraws the geography of the territory [199154]. Israel claims the roads are necessary for security, but the infrastructure is widely seen as entrenching the occupation.
In a major escalation, Israel is now threatening to seize Solomon’s Pools, a historic site built in the second century BCE that has long served as a recreational area for Bethlehem residents [199811]. Under a 30-year-old agreement, Palestinian authorities own the site, but Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, explicitly threatened in May to “erase” that agreement [199811]. Since then, Israeli settlers and troops have increased their presence around the location [199811].
The expansion of settlements has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved a new settlement, and the finance minister stated that a total of 104 settlements and 160 farms have been authorized since the government took power in late 2022 [196698]. Israel has also signed a $2.3 billion agreement to build 12,000 new homes in West Bank settlements, a project Israel’s Channel 14 described as a “giant” step to “change the face of the region” [195511].
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law [196698]. However, the European Union remains stuck in a bureaucratic deadlock over how to handle products from these settlements, despite all 27 member states agreeing that the settlements violate international law [195606]. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a trade ban has the most support among member states, but the bloc has failed to reach a unified position [195606]. Countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland want to ban imports from settlements, while Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic oppose punishing Israel [195606]. Human rights group Oxfam called the delays a violation of international law, stating that “any delay not only has a human cost but is also a flagrant and ongoing violation of international law” [195606].