The Higher Planning Council (HPC) is scheduled to convene next Wednesday, January 22, 2025, to finalize the approval of 184 housing units in the settlement of Migdalim (Plan 142/4). Since the beginning of December 2024, weekly discussions have been held to advance settlement housing units, while no discussions have been held to promote Palestinian construction in Area C.
Since the current Netanyahu government took office, record numbers of housing units have been advanced in the West Bank. In 2023, the HPC approved 12,349 housing units—a record high. In 2024, 9,884 housing units were approved.
The shift to weekly planning approvals not only normalizes settlement construction but also accelerates it. If this week’s plans are approved, it will mean that 2,993 housing units will have been advanced in less than two months. At this pace, 2025 could set a new record, with an estimated 20,000 housing units expected to be promoted over the next year.
A significant policy change introduced by the Netanyahu-Smotrich government in June 2023 abolished the requirement for the Defense Minister’s approval at every stage of advancing settlement plans. Prior to this decision, all settlement construction plans required prior approval from the Defense Minister. In recent years, the Defense Minister limited settlement planning sessions to approximately four times a year, resulting in thousands of units being approved in each session.
In recent weeks, however, we have witnessed a shift, with the HPC convening every one to two weeks to approve a few hundred housing units in each meeting. This systematic approach aims to normalize settlement planning while drawing less public and international attention and criticism.