Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in charge of the administration of settlements in the occupied West Bank and an advocate for the annexation of Palestinian territories, praised on his X account the creation of "13 new settlements" in the occupied West Bank. 'This initiative is conducted in the context of the approval of tens of thousands of housing units in Judea and Samaria [biblical name for the West Bank] and constitutes another significant step in the process of normalization and regulation of settlement," he celebrated.

The Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian administration in the West Bank and the rival of Hamas, denounced this project. These areas occupied by Israeli settlers were until now neighborhoods of pre-existing settlements, according to Israeli terminology, Smotrich specifies. The recognition of their administrative independence "is an important step that will greatly contribute to their promotion and development," said the ultranationalist minister. "Instead of hiding and apologizing, we proudly raise the flag, build and establish. This is another important step towards effective "[Israeli] sovereignty" in the occupied West Bank, he stated.

This decision by the Israeli government "is a blatant disregard for international resolutions," said the statement of the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry, as quoted by AFP. Highlighting the ongoing Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank, the ministry warns of an "unprecedented escalation in the confiscation of Palestinian lands."

The West Bank is a Palestinian territory, occupied by Israel since 1967, where about three million Palestinians live alongside nearly half a million Israelis residing in settlements, considered illegal under international law.

Israel has significantly expanded and consolidated settlements in the occupied West Bank as part of the regular integration of these territories into the State of Israel, in violation of international law, the U.N. human rights office declared last week. The report, which will be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council at the end of the month, comes as fears of annexation are rising with the policy changes of the United States under President Donald Trump and new settler outposts in areas of the West Bank considered part of a future Palestinian state.

"Israel must immediately and completely cease all settlement activity and evacuate all settlers, stop the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population and prevent and punish attacks by its security forces and settlers," stated U.N. High Commissioner Volker Turk in a statement accompanying the report, as quoted by AFP.

On Saturday, the Palestinian movement Hamas issued a statement calling on "our people [Palestinian] in the West Bank to show resilience and intensify resistance actions."