“I don’t want to give you any inside tips, but I can promise you that no settlements in the Land of Israel will be evacuated.” This was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confident response to a question he was asked on Instagram on Aug. 20. The person asking wanted to know whether he should buy a home in the West Bank or be concerned about a possible future evacuation that would affect his investment.

During the Obama administration, that same answer could have caused new tensions with the White House. Today, however, with US Ambassador David Friedman himself toeing a pro-settlement line, Netanyahu’s response was reported by the press almost incidentally.

Friedman met Aug. 16 with a group of settlement leaders, including Likud Knesset member Yehuda Glick, who lives in the settlement of Othniel in the southern Mount Hebron region. Glick later reported that the ambassador brought them a reassuring message that the Trump administration has no plans to demand the evacuation of any settlements.

These weren’t empty words either. As it turns out, the settlements are thriving like they haven’t in years. In the last few days, there have even been reports on new construction starts and plans not only in the major settlement blocs but also beyond them.