Israeli minister calls for settling one million Jews in the West Bank

Israeli Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldakov has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to facilitate one million Jews to illegally settle in the occupied West Bank, a move widely criticised for its aggressive expansionism.

Speaking to the Hebrew site Bahdrei Haredim, which covers news related to Haredi Jews, Goldakov urged Netanyahu to "bring a million Jews to Judea and Samaria," the Israeli term for the West Bank.

Goldakov also called for the Gaza onslaught to be leveraged to ramp up settlement construction in the area.

According to the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank stood at approximately 770,420 by the end of 2024, living across 180 government-sanctioned settlements and 256 unauthorised outposts.

Settlements approved by the Israeli government are often distinguished from outposts, which settlers establish without formal approval.