Israel unveils new West Bank settlement plan amid rising regional tensions

Israel has published plans for one of its proposed new settlements in the occupied West Bank, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday, upping the ante a day before planned new Gaza peace talks seen as vital to preventing a regional war.

The far-right minister said the move was a response to actions by the Palestinian West Bank leadership and countries which have recognised a Palestinian state.

"No anti-Israel or anti-Zionist decision will stop the development of the settlement. We will continue to fight against the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state. This is the mission of my life," said Smotrich.

Most United Nations member states consider settlements built in the West Bank and other territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, citing the Jewish people's historical and biblical ties to the land.

Israel announced in June it was going to legalise five outposts in the West Bank, establish three new settlements, and seize huge swathes of land where Palestinians seek to create an independent state, further inflaming Palestinian anger.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited authority over the West Bank under Israeli military occupation, reiterated that settlement construction and the demolition of Palestinian homes constituted ethnic cleansing, an allegation Israel has denied.

In May, Spain, Ireland and Norway joined the majority of UN states that have recognised a Palestinian state, viewing the establishment of such a state alongside Israel as the only way to secure lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israel criticised their move as bolstering Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, and has condemned the Palestinian Authority for backing an international case accusing it of genocide, a charge which Israel firmly denies.

A new round of internationally mediated talks to try and end the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas and secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza is due to take place in Qatar on Thursday, although Hamas has said it will not attend.

The new 60 hectare settlement called Nachal Heletz will form part of the Gush Etzion settlement cluster and connect the region with nearby Jerusalem, said Smotrich, who heads a pro-settler party and who himself is a settler.

Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, said: "Smotrich continues to promote de facto annexation, disregarding the UNESCO Convention that Israel is a signatory to, and we will all pay the price."

The Gaza war threatens to spill into a regional conflict involving Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel is braced for significant Iranian and Hezbollah attacks following the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the political leader of Hamas in Tehran.

Little progress has been made on achieving Palestinian statehood since the signing of the Oslo Accords in the early 1990s.