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The nation's security cabinet has formally approved the recognition of nineteen additional communities in the disputed Palestinian territories, marking a continued push for settlement expansion.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the step together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the move was intended for preventing the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed unlawful.

The announcement has sparked condemnation from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion heightens tensions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and undermines the feasibility of a independent Palestinian state.

Rising Unrest and Political Repercussions

Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, further heightening apprehensions that settlement expansion could deepen Israel's occupation and undermine the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states involves the formation of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, broadly along the lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since taking office in 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the approval of fresh communities and started the legalisation process for unauthorised settler outposts, designating them as "extensions" of existing settlements.

Sustained Expansion

The latest approval brings the total number of settlements authorized over the last three years to 69, as stated by Minister Smotrich.

These decisions are announced just days after the United Nations reported that settlement expansion had attained its peak since 2017.

The newest group of approvals includes the revival of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed nearly in 2005.

In a previous move, Israel authorized 22 additional settlements in the occupied West Bank - described as the biggest wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the Israeli government sanctioned projects in August to build more than three thousand residences in the controversial E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been on hold for many years amid strong foreign objection.

At that time, Smotrich said it would "put to rest the idea of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and Global Response

Approximately seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers live in around one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people envision for a prospective independent state.

Settlement expansion has angered Arab nations who have steadfastly said it harms chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore fueled anxieties about the potential incorporation of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- American President Donald Trump had once admonished Israel about this step, telling a publication that Israel would lose its backing from the United States if it happened.

In a policy change, the UK - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a Palestinian state, a notable although largely symbolic adjustment in foreign policy.

The Israeli government was against this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "is not going to occur."