🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 While the Trump administration - along with governments across Europe and the Middle East - is focused on the escalating crisis with Iran, the Israeli cabinet is expected to approve on Thursday a plan to fund the de facto establishment of 61 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to a draft government decision I obtained. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 Why it matters: A source familiar with the proposal said the government is expected to allocate more than $350 million over several years to move 61 newly authorized settlements from paper to reality. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 The plan would fund temporary residential compounds, public buildings and infrastructure even before formal planning procedures are completed, marking one of the most significant settlement expansion moves in decades. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 The proposal is being championed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The timing is significant: the government is seeking to approve the funding before a possible vote to dissolve the Knesset and trigger new elections - a scenario that could make large-scale budget allocations substantially more difficult. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 Between the lines: Many of the settlements included in the proposal are located in strategically sensitive areas, including along Highway 90 in the Jordan Valley, in the South Hebron Hills, and in locations designed to create territorial continuity between existing settlements. Such a move further undermines the prospect of a future Palestinian state. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 Rather than merely granting formal recognition to new settlements, the government would begin simultaneously funding housing, infrastructure and public services for dozens of communities - a move that could significantly reshape the map of the West Bank over the coming years. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 Zoom in: Under the plan, the government would finance temporary settlement sites that include mobile homes, public facilities, community infrastructure and support services. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 The proposal would also fund development work for the permanent settlements expected to follow, including roads, utilities and other core infrastructure. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 The significance of the proposal lies not only in the number of settlements involved, but also in the government's decision to begin physical implementation before completing the full statutory planning process. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 The proposal follows a government decision approved last week that allocated roughly $35 million for planning and regulatory work related to the same settlements. The new proposal moves beyond planning and into implementation. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 In practice, it would allow the government to establish temporary settlement sites while planning procedures are still underway, creating facts on the ground that could later evolve into permanent settlements. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 The big picture: The move comes amid a broader effort by the Israeli government to strengthen its hold over Area C of the West Bank and accelerate settlement expansion. 🚨🇮🇱🇵🇸 It also follows a series of cabinet decisions over the past year authorizing dozens of new settlements, representing the largest wave of settlement approvals in years.