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By Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to separate 13 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from their neighbouring communities, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday.
The settlements will ultimately be recognised as independent, he posted on X about the move, which follows the approval of tens of thousands of housing units across the West Bank.
"We continue to lead a revolution of normalisation and regulation in the settlements. Instead of hiding and apologising – we raise the flag, build and settle. This is another important step on the path to actual sovereignty in Judea and Samaria," Smotrich said, using Israel's term for the West Bank.
Israel's opposition to ceding control of the West Bank has been deepened by its fears of a repeat of the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants. Its military says it is conducting counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank and targeting suspected militants.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry criticised the approval of the separation of the neighbourhoods and their recognition as independent settlements as disregarding international legitimacy and resolutions.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group governing Gaza, condemned the move in the West Bank, describing it as a "desperate attempt to impose realities on the ground and consolidate colonial occupation on Palestinian lands".
Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, land Israel captured in 1967 during the six-day war. Most countries consider Israel's settlements on territory seized in the war to be illegal. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.
Israel's pro-settler politicians have been emboldened by the return to the White House of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionism party and a key partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, has for years called for Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank.
He noted that until now the 13 settlements were formally considered part of their parent communities, in some cases for decades, which he said caused significant difficulties in their daily management.
"Recognising each of them as an independent settlement is an important step that will greatly assist in their advancement and development," Smotrich said.
(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta; Editing by William Mallard)
