As Gaza lies in ruins under relentless bombardment, the occupied West Bank is quietly being carved apart. The Israeli government, emboldened by global silence and Arab inaction, is fast-tracking a plan that aims to reshape the landscape irreversibly one settlement at a time.

In a striking move, Israeli authorities have approved the creation of 22 new settlements across the West Bank. These outposts, stretching from the Jordan Valley to the northern hills of Homesh and Sanur, are part of a broader strategy designed to dismantle any prospects of a contiguous Palestinian state. The map released by the ruling Likud Party paints a grim picture: fragmentation, displacement, and entrenchment.

Experts warn this is more than expansion, it’s legalisation. Informal settler outposts are being granted official status, unlocking state funding, infrastructure, and political protection. Since October 2023, the rate of settlement expansion has surged dramatically. Palestinian farmers have been barred from their lands, hundreds of dunums have been seized, and entire communities, especially Bedouin, are being uprooted.

Behind the bureaucratic machinery stands a calculated effort. With key ministries now controlled by far-right figures like Bezalel Smotrich, what once took years now takes weeks. The system is streamlined not for justice, but for domination. Today, settlers effectively control vast swathes of the West Bank, up to 40% under their councils' influence, according to monitoring groups.

This is not just about land, it is about erasure. The quiet annexation of the West Bank, masked as “development,” is stripping Palestinians of their history, their livelihoods, and their right to exist. Yet amidst the silence of the world, Palestinians continue to resist, to remain rooted, and to hold fast to the land that has always been theirs.