Israel restores West Bank settlement, as minister demands occupation of Gaza

Israel restores West Bank settlement, as minister demands occupation of Gaza Submitted by Mera Aladam on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 08:27 The Israeli government has also agreed to rebuild three settlements dismantled in the West Bank in 2005 Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the re-establishment of a settlement in the Palestinian village of Sanur, southwest Jenin, occupied West Bank, 19 April 2026 (Shir Torem/Reuters) Off Israel has re-established a settlement in the Palestinian village of Sanur, 20 years after it was dismantled as part of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The village, located southwest of Jenin, is the latest project amid an acceleration of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank , which has risen sharply since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in 2023. Several Knesset members and Israeli ministers, including Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, participated in the ceremony celebrating the restoration of the settlement on Sunday.