National Missions Minister Orit Strock said that Israel will establish settlements "with God's help" across the West Bank, during a speech at the Israeli settlement of Karmei Tzur near Hebron on Tuesday.

"We are planning to build four towns," said Strock, noting that the state is restricting the construction of two of them due to their planned location in Area B.

Her comments come after the foreign ministers of 12 countries confirmed on September 8 their intention to impose national restrictions on trade in goods from Israeli settlements. 

"With your help, towns will be built in Area B, and also in Area A, because both A and B are the Land of Israel," she said. "We won't forget about them."

Areas A, B, and C are administrative categories of the West Bank established under the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Missions Minister Orit Strock hold a map of the West Bank as they celebrate the Knesset Security Cabinet approval of their NIS1.3M budget to build 34 new settlements throughout the territory.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Missions Minister Orit Strock hold a map of the West Bank as they celebrate the Knesset Security Cabinet approval of their NIS1.3M budget to build 34 new settlements throughout the territory. (credit: Courtesy)

Strock, a member of the far-right Religious Zionist Party (RZP) led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, noted that the movement to fix "all of Oslo's problems" had begun, referring to the policies set by the accords regarding Israel's presence in the West Bank.

"We started, and we succeeded a lot, a lot, beyond the Holocaust," she emphasized. "But we didn't finish. We, with God's help, are going to build towns in every corner of the Land of Israel."

Ben-Gvir: 'No difference' between Areas A, B, C if appointed defense minister

Also on Tuesday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that he would make no distinction between Areas A, B, and C if he is appointed as defense minister.

“Areas A and B will be treated exactly like Area C," said Ben-Gvir during a tour of farms and settlement sites in the West Bank. "There will be no difference.”

Mathilda Heller and Anna Barsky contributed to this report.