Israel has officially converted the Givat Ze'ev settlement in the occupied West Bank into a city. Avi Balut, commander of the Israeli military's Central Command, approved the transformation with an order he signed on Sunday.
The Jerusalem Governorate reacted sharply to the decision, stating that it is not an administrative step but part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at expanding the settlement project and consolidating control over Palestinian land around Jerusalem.
In a statement, the governorate stressed that city status means expanded administrative powers, increased government budgets, and accelerated construction processes. It noted that this would enable the establishment of new settlement neighborhoods, infrastructure development, and the attraction of more settlers to the area.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told the private Channel 7 television that the move is aimed at strengthening the settlement and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Jerusalem Governorate pointed out that the strategically located Givat Ze'ev is an important part of the settlement ring surrounding Jerusalem. It noted that the settlement strengthens the link between settlement blocs north of Jerusalem, negatively affects the Palestinian territorial contiguity between Jerusalem and Ramallah, and deepens the city's isolation from its Palestinian hinterland.
The governorate stated that the decision is part of a series of Israeli practices, including expanding settlements, accelerating the approval of construction plans, and legalizing outposts, and is the product of a policy aimed at creating new facts on the ground.
The statement stressed that all settlements established in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and United Nations resolutions, and that any attempt to strengthen them constitutes a violation of international law.
The United Nations and the vast majority of countries consider Israeli settlements established in the occupied Palestinian territories to be in violation of international law and believe they undermine the chances of a two-state solution.
According to data from the Israel-based peace organization Peace Now, there are about 500,000 settlers in the occupied West Bank and about 250,000 in the settlements of East Jerusalem.
Palestinians view such Israeli moves as part of an accelerated policy to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state by creating facts on the ground through settlement expansion and land confiscation.
