The Higher Planning Council (HPC) is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, to advance 372 housing units for deposit in the settlement of Beitar Illit (Plan 2/10/3/1/1/426). This meeting is part of a recent trend of weekly sessions to promote settlement construction plans, while no similar discussions are taking place to approve 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 transition to weekly planning approvals is the result of policy changes introduced by the Netanyahu-Smotrich government. One key decision, made in June 2023, abolished the requirement for the Defense Minister’s approval at every stage of advancing settlement plans.
Previously, 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 the approval of thousands of units in each session.
In recent weeks, however, a significant change has occurred, with the HPC convening every week to approve a few hundred housing units in each meeting. This systematic approach aims to normalize settlement planning and attract less public and international attention and criticism.
If this week’s plans are approved, it will mean that 2,749 housing units will have been advanced in a month and a half. At this pace, 2025 could see record numbers of housing units promoted in the West Bank, with an average of approximately 1,800 units per month.