JERUSALEM: Israeli settlers established a record number of wildcat outposts in the occupied West Bank in 2023, a watchdog said on Thursday. Twenty-six settlements not recognized by the Israeli government were established last year, including around 10 since the war in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, the Israeli group Peace Now said in a report. The report linked the spike to the arrival in government of extreme-right figures. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in December 2022 in a coalition with far-right and ultra-orthodox parties. Since then, Israeli authorities have allowed “settlers to establish outposts unhindered,” Peace Now said. “Under the Netanyahu government, we have witnessed unprecedented support for settlements.” Netanyahu led Israeli governments from 1996 to 1999, then from 2009 to 2021, before returning to power in late 2022. His current ruling coalition includes religious ultranationalist ministers such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who are staunch supporters of the settler movement. Both live in settlements themselves. Peace Now said 2023 saw the highest number of wildcat outposts — those established without the approval of the Israeli authorities — since the phenomenon began in 1996. The previous record, 23, was in 2002 during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, it said.