The Higher Planning Council (HPC) is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, to review four construction plans totaling 448 housing units in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The HPC has been meeting weekly since early December to advance housing construction plans in the settlements.
Proposed Construction Plans for January 8, 2025:
| Settlement | Planning Status | Plan Number | Housing Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kochav Yaakov | Deposit | 2/1/242 | 1 |
| Geva Binyamin | Validation | 1/1/240 | 356 |
| Karnei Shomron | Validation | 2/5/116 | 68 |
| Beitar Illit | Deposit | 1/14/B/7/426 | 23 |
Total: 448
Under the current Netanyahu government, settlement construction has reached unprecedented levels. In 2023, the Council approved 12,349 housing units—a historic high. This was followed by 9,884 units approved in 2024.
The shift to weekly planning meetings represents both a normalization and intensification of settlement construction. If next week’s plans are approved, the six-week total will reach 2,377 housing units. At this rate, 2025 could set new records, with projections exceeding 1,500 units per month.
Peace Now: “The Higher Planning Council’s weekly meetings indicate an attempt to normalize settlement planning, aiming to maximize housing unit approvals while minimizing public and international criticism. These weekly sessions exemplify the Netanyahu-Smotrich government’s annexation policy, which is leading to either a political deadlock or, worse, a political and security crisis.”
The shift 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.
Before this decision, all settlement construction plans needed prior approval from the Defense Minister. In recent years, the Defense Minister mandated that settlement plans be promoted only about four times a year, resulting in the approval of thousands of housing units in each session.
In recent weeks, a significant change has occurred, with the HPC now convening weekly and approving a few hundred housing units in each meeting. This approach aims to normalize settlement planning and attract less public and international attention and criticism.