Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have accelerated settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, approving 34 new settlements on April 12, 2026—the largest batch in decades—alongside land registrations amounting to about 16% of the territory as state land. These measures, greenlit by the security cabinet in February, are widely labeled de facto annexation by UN experts, Amnesty International, and Chatham House, amid reports of U.S. coordination on construction and security. No formal sovereignty legislation has passed the Knesset, but ministerial rhetoric emphasizes annexation goals, including potential Gaza conquests. Traders monitor upcoming Knesset sessions and international diplomatic responses, such as EU sanctions threats, for shifts toward de jure incorporation before any resolution deadline.