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Israel's security cabinet has given its endorsement to the formalization of nineteen additional communities in the occupied West Bank, marking a ongoing campaign for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the measure alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was aimed at preventing the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are considered unlawful.

The announcement has elicited censure from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion fuels tensions, limits Palestinians' access to territory, and threatens the prospects of a sovereign Palestine.

Escalating Tensions and Political Fallout

Violence in the region has increased sharply since the hostilities in Gaza erupted in the autumn of 2023, adding to concerns that settlement expansion could solidify Israel's occupation and undermine the chance for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states involves the creation of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, broadly along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in 2022, the incumbent Israeli government has significantly increased the authorization of fresh communities and initiated the legalisation process for informal outposts, classifying them as "extensions" of existing settlements.

Ongoing Growth

The most recent approval takes the total number of communities recognized over the last three years to sixty-nine, per the figures from Minister Smotrich.

These approvals come only a few days after the UN said that settlement expansion had hit its highest level since the year 2017.

The newest batch of authorizations features the rebuilding of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated almost 20 years ago.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government gave the nod to twenty-two new communities in the occupied West Bank - labeled as the biggest wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for projects in August to construct over 3,000 residences in the controversial E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that had been on hold for many years amid strong international objection.

Regarding that plan, the Finance Minister stated it would "end the notion of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and Global Response

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in about 160 communities in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people aspire to have for a prospective sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has drawn ire from Arab states who have repeatedly contended it harms prospects for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore fueled concerns about the possible formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former American President Donald Trump had previously cautioned the Israeli leadership about this step, stating to TIME magazine that Israel would forfeit all its support from the US if it happened.

Recently, the UK - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic change in government policy.

Israel strongly rejected the move, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is off the table."