July 24, 2026 / 12:11 PM EDT
/ CBS/AFP
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government would establish new settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and legalize more existing ones, after a deadly clash left two Israelis and four Palestinians dead. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced "a series of steps" including "powerful action" and raids in Palestinian villages suspected of hosting militants and "accelerating the legalization of farm outposts and establishment of new ones."All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal under international law, but they've been encouraged by Israel's current government, which swung sharply to the right when Netanyahu formed his governing coalition with parties that had long existed on the right-wing fringes of Israeli politics. Israel disputes the international position that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal, arguing that most are legal under its own laws. For its part, the Israeli government has accused the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) of "prejudicial conduct," including downplaying "the level of violence against Israeli civilians" in the West Bank. Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has increased since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas led attack sparked the war in Gaza. Critics say Netanyahu's government, which includes ultranationalist, pro-settler ministers, has helped embolden the attacks.
