ISRAEL – A new Israeli settlement was established in West Bank on Saturday – named Aviad and the first in decades – near Kiryat Arba settlement.

The neighborhood was built near the Beni Naim junction south of Hebron, with 10 families settling there in recent days, according to the Israel Hayom newspaper.

The Kiryat Arba Council said the new settlement aims to “sever the geographical connection between Palestinian lands from Hebron to the Negev Desert and strengthen the connection between the (illegal Israeli) settlements of Kiryat Arba and Ma’ale Hever.”

Council Chairman Yisrael Bramson described establishing the neighborhood as “a historic step that brings to life a vision that has continued for generations.”

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into occupied territory.

The announcement coincides with Sunday’s Israeli Security Cabinet meeting, where officials are expected to discuss steps against Palestinians, including West Bank annexation plans, in response to some Western countries’ plans to recognize Palestine in September.