Israel's cabinet is expected to approve a plan to fund 61 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to a draft government decision. The proposal would allocate more than $350 million over several years to turn newly authorized settlements into functioning communities. Backed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the plan would mark one of the largest settlement expansion initiatives in decades. Many of the settlements are located in strategically sensitive areas, including the Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills, and are intended to strengthen territorial continuity between existing settlements. Source: Axios