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The nation's defense cabinet has formally approved the formalization of 19 fresh settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories, representing a continued push for settlement expansion.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who put forward the measure together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the approval was intended for preventing the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal.

The move has sparked censure from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "relentless" growth of communities fuels frictions, limits Palestinian access to territory, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a independent Palestinian state.

Rising Unrest and Political Repercussions

Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since the conflict in Gaza erupted in October 2023, adding to apprehensions that settlement expansion could entrench Israel's occupation and weaken the possibility for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the lines that were in place before the 1967 Middle East war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the incumbent Israeli government has greatly accelerated the green-lighting of fresh communities and begun the legalisation process for informal settler outposts, classifying them as "extensions" of existing communities.

Ongoing Growth

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

These authorizations arrive only a few days after the UN reported that settlement expansion had attained its highest level since the year 2017.

The latest round of authorizations includes the re-establishment of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly two decades ago.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government authorized 22 additional settlements in the occupied West Bank - what was the most significant wave of approvals in decades.

In a related development, the government also approved blueprints last summer to construct over 3,000 housing units in the so-called E1 area between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that had been on hold for many years amid fierce foreign condemnation.

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

Population Facts and Global Response

Roughly seven hundred thousand settlers reside in about 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians envision for a prospective independent state.

Settlement expansion has provoked neighboring countries who have repeatedly said it erodes hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore raised fears about the possible formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had previously warned Israel about this step, telling a publication that Israel would forfeit its backing from the United States if it proceeded.

Recently, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - formally recognized a State of Palestine, a notable although primarily ceremonial shift in government policy.

Israel was against this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "will not happen."