Ramallah: Israeli occupation authorities have allocated one billion shekels for the construction of colonial bypass roads on Palestinian-owned lands in the occupied West Bank to serve colonial expansion projects. The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Colonization stated this as part of its weekly settlement report.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the report detailed that extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced an additional allocation of approximately 1.075 billion shekels for the construction of new roads serving colonies. This funding is part of the Ministry of Finance budget for the years 2026 to 2028.
The report highlighted that this is in addition to seven billion shekels previously allocated by the Israeli occupation government for roads serving colonies in the West Bank. The new allocation constitutes around 30 percent of the roads budget, with significant investments made in recent years to develop bypass roads for the facilitation of new colonies and the expansion of existing ones.
It noted that Smotrich had previously announced during an internal conference of the Religious Zionism Party in June 2024 that seven billion Israeli shekels were allocated over five years for roads serving colonies.
According to the report, the allocation translates to approximately 1.4 billion Israeli shekels annually. In comparison, the budget for intercity roads inside the 1948 territories over the past four years was around 4.5 billion Israeli shekels annually. This indicates that about 30 percent of the intercity roads budget inside the 1948 territories is allocated to colonies inhabited by only 3 percent of Israelis.
The bureau recalled the Israeli occupation government's construction of more than 952 kilometers of bypass roads in recent years, which have hindered the development of Palestinian localities in the West Bank.
It further pointed out that, alongside the new bypass roads serving as a key tool of the colonial project, the 'Higher Planning Council' of the Israeli occupation army is reviewing plans for the construction of 643 colonial units in several colonies built on West Bank lands.
The report stressed that the acceleration of planning discussions and rapid approvals reflects the occupation government's determination to resume colonial activities at a rapid pace in the northern West Bank, including areas without colonial presence for over two decades.
According to the weekly settlement report, the current year has marked a decisive turning point in the colonial movement, with more than 100 colonies, colonial outposts, and pastoral outposts approved across the West Bank since the formation of the current Israeli occupation government.
The report also noted that the Israeli cabinet approved the establishment of 34 additional colonies during a secret meeting amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. Details of the meeting were kept confidential to prevent international pressure that could obstruct the move.
