Israel has said it will establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, writes A2 CNN.
According to foreign media, these would include new settlements and the legalization of those already built without government authorization.
Some 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in communities considered illegal under international law - a designation that Israel disputes.
The settler movement dates back to 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War.
Settlement construction has accelerated under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, and settler attacks against Palestinian villages in the West Bank have intensified significantly since the start of the Gaza war.
The Israeli army has also carried out its largest operation in the territory in two decades, writes A2 CNN.
The operation, which has focused on refugee camps in volatile northern cities including Jenin and Tulkarm, has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to United Nations figures.
This has increased fears among many Palestinians of a broader push towards a full-scale occupation of the West Bank by Israel.
Several key ministers in Netanyahu's government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a pro-settler, have openly called for the annexation of the West Bank and the displacement of large sections of the Palestinian population.
The Palestinians want the West Bank to be the core of a future independent state, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem. (A2 Televizion)
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