RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine denounced an Israeli government decision on Wednesday to establish a new Jewish-only settlement in the occupied West Bank.  

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said early Wednesday that the government approved the construction of the Nahal Heletz settlement near Bethlehem. 

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry termed the Israeli move as part of Tel Aviv’s “expansionist colonial policy." 

These actions “aim to connect the settlements into a massive geographical bloc, consuming significant portions of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank,” it added in a statement. 

The ministry also condemned Israel’s ongoing demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the West Bank for alleged lack of permits. 

This practice represents “the harshest form of settler colonialism and ethnic cleansing, blatantly disregarding international law and UN resolutions,” it added. 

Secretary-General of the Palestinian Initiative Movement Mustafa Barghouti also condemned Smotrich's announcement, describing it as “part of a continuous campaign of displacement and aggression against the Palestinian people.” 

He stressed that the move “defies international law and the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have consistently rejected the legitimacy of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories.” 

Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal. 

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the ICJ declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and called for the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio