# Israel announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, risking further strain on relations with the international community. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are regularly condemned by the United Nations as illegal under international law, and are seen as one of the main obstacles to a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, wrote on X new communities will be established in Judea and Samaria, renewing settlement in the north of Samaria, and reinforcing the eastern axis of the State of Israel.
Israel creates 22 new settlements in occupied West Bank