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Israel's defense cabinet has formally approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories, representing a continued push for community development.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the step alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was intended for preventing the formation of a sovereign Palestine.

It is important to note that Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are viewed as in violation of international law.

The announcement has elicited condemnation from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion fuels frictions, restricts Palestinians' use of land, and threatens the feasibility of a sovereign Palestine.

Increased Unrest and Diplomatic Repercussions

Clashes in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the hostilities in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023, further heightening concerns that settlement expansion could deepen Israel's occupation and damage the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution refers to the establishment of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the present government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the approval of new settlements and begun the legalisation process for informal settler outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of established settlements.

Sustained Expansion

The latest decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the preceding 36 months to 69, as stated by Smotrich.

These decisions arrive just days after the United Nations reported that settlement expansion had attained its highest level since the year 2017.

The newest round of authorizations features the re-establishment of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated almost 20 years ago.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government authorized 22 additional communities in the occupied West Bank - described as the most significant expansion in many years.

Additionally, the government gave the go-ahead for blueprints last summer to erect in excess of three thousand residences in the so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that had been stalled for many years amid fierce international condemnation.

Regarding that plan, the Finance Minister stated it would "put to rest the concept of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and International Reactions

An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in about one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians envision for a future sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has provoked Arab states who have consistently contended it erodes hopes for a two-state solution.

It has furthermore sparked concerns about the possible annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Former US President Donald Trump had once cautioned Israel about this step, stating to TIME magazine that the country would forfeit all its support from the United States if it proceeded.

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - along with other nations including Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic adjustment in government policy.

The Israeli government strongly rejected this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."