Israeli settlers on Monday inaugurated a new settlement on a hilltop overlooking the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour in the occupied West Bank, marking the formal recognition of what had until recently been an unauthorised outpost.

The settlement, named “Yatziv,” meaning “stable” in Hebrew, was set up with prefabricated homes in November and received official approval last month. The inauguration was held under heavy security, with Israeli soldiers deployed around the site as settlers gathered for the ceremony.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who oversees Israeli settlement policy, attended the event and said the new settlement would be permanent. He has led an expanded programme of settlement construction and legalisation of outposts over the past three years.

Settlers have long sought control of the hilltop, citing its location in a chain of settlements surrounding Jerusalem and its historical significance to Jews. The move gained momentum after a deadly stabbing attack on an Israeli at a nearby junction late last year, according to settlement leaders.

On Dec 21, Smotrich approved Yatziv along with 18 other outposts, bringing an end to a two-decade campaign by settlers to establish a presence at the site.

The international community largely considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law. Palestinians say the continued expansion restricts movement and development, undermining prospects for a future Palestinian state. They seek the West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967, as part of such a state.

Palestinian officials say the land belongs to families from Beit Sahour. Mayor Elias Isseid said the new settlement is part of a growing ring of Israeli communities around the town, connected by roads that lead directly to Jerusalem while bypassing Palestinian areas.

In the past, the site had been discussed as a possible location for a Palestinian children’s hospital with international support, but the project was never implemented and the land was later used as a military base.

Yatziv is the latest addition to a series of settlements that have expanded around Beit Sahour in recent years.