Khaberni - Security sources in Tel Aviv revealed that the Israeli army received a green light from the Minister of Finance, and the official responsible for the settlement file in the Ministry of Defense, Bezalel Smotrich, to cancel the "Disengagement Plan" from the West Bank, dated back to 2005, and to work on securing the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 40 settlement points, paving the way for annexation.
The newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported that alongside the 21 settlements that the Tel Aviv government approved for construction, Smotrich added 19 more settlements in the West Bank.
The newspaper confirmed that the Israeli Central Command is currently discussing the locations and construction schedules on the ground.
Preliminary step
Sources traced the series of prolonged operations in the northern West Bank over the past two years, as seen in Qabatiya, and the permanent military presence in the Jenin camp, to being a "preliminary step that made it possible to establish settlements in these areas in a safer manner."
The sources indicated that Smotrich himself is leading this "settlement revolution"; given his responsibility for this file, he is referred to in the Israeli army as the "Minister of Defense for the settlements", especially in light of his increasing involvement, even to the extent of controlling everything happening in the West Bank on behalf of the government.
Establishment and expansion
Starting from the cancellation of the Disengagement Plan, the Israeli forces are currently building roads in the northwest of the West Bank, and similar steps are expected in the settlement "Homesh", and possibly also in the points "Kadim", and "Ganim", which are scheduled for rehabilitation.
With the establishment and expansion of settlements, the Israeli army is enhancing its capabilities in the fields of information technology and telecommunications and data collection in the northern West Bank, including observation points, radars, and communications, witnessing an unprecedented demographic change in Northern West Bank by 2026.
The Israeli army estimates that the needed addition to protect the newly established settlements would be at least one battalion in the initial phase.
The Israeli army currently supports the West Bank settlements with 23 permanent battalions, guarding an area ranging from the southern Hebron mountains to the Jenin sector opposite Afula.
Despite this, security circles in Tel Aviv believe that the current number of military battalions is not sufficient, especially when compared with the period of the Second Palestinian Intifada 24 years ago, where nearly 80 battalions were deployed across the West Bank.
