Advancement of 1,033 Housing Units in the West Bank

On Wednesday, 31 December 2025, the Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration is set to discuss plans for 1,033 housing units across the West Bank.

The discussion concerns the advancement of 126 housing units (Plan No. 108/2) in the evacuated settlement of Sa-Nur, whose re-establishment was approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet in May 2025. Sa-Nur was evacuated as part of the 2005 Disengagement Plan. The re-establishment of the settlement has been enabled by amendments introduced by the current government to the Disengagement Law, which removed the prohibition on Israeli presence in parts of the northern West Bank. Approval of the plan for deposit marks a return to settlement activity deep inside the northern West Bank, in areas densely populated by Palestinians and where no settlers had previously been present.

The construction plan in the settlement of Yitzhar (Plan No. 169/4) is intended to expand the settlement westward and south-westward, up to the edge of Area B and adjacent to the built-up area of the Palestinian village of Asira al-Qibliya.

The shift to a weekly approval process not only normalizes construction in the territories but also accelerates it. Since the beginning of 2025, including the plans slated for approval this week, the council has advanced a total of 28,163 housing units. All time record.

Settlement Plans Overview

One of the changes made by the Netanyahu-Smotrich government in June 2023 was the elimination of the need for defense minister approval for each stage of settlement plan advancement. Previously, every construction plan in settlements required prior approval from the defense minister. In recent years, the defense minister had limited settlement plan advancements to approximately four times a year, with thousands of housing units being approved in a single session of the Higher Planning Council. In recent weeks, we have witnessed a change where the Higher Planning Council meets every week and approves several hundred housing units in each meeting. In this way, the government seeks to normalize planning in settlements and attract less public and international attention and criticism.

List of Plans Approved Since January 2025