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The nation's top security body has formally approved the establishment of 19 additional settlements in the contested West Bank, signaling a ongoing drive for community development.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the move alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, stated that the approval was aimed at preventing the creation of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are viewed as unlawful.

The announcement has sparked criticism from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities heightens frictions, curtails Palestinians' access to land, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Escalating Unrest and Political Repercussions

Violence in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, further heightening apprehensions that the growth of communities could entrench the Israeli presence and weaken the possibility for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution envisions the creation of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, broadly along the borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the current Israeli government has greatly accelerated the approval of new settlements and started the legalisation process for previously illegal outposts, recognising them as "suburbs" of established communities.

Sustained Growth

The latest decision brings the cumulative figure of settlements recognized over the past three years to 69, as stated by Minister Smotrich.

These approvals arrive only a few days after the United Nations stated that construction in settlements had hit its most intense pace since the year 2017.

The newest group of approvals encompasses the revival of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated nearly two decades ago.

Previously, Israel gave the nod to twenty-two new communities in the territories - labeled as the biggest expansion in decades.

Additionally, the Israeli government sanctioned projects in August to construct in excess of three thousand residences in the so-called E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a project that had been on hold for many years amid strong international opposition.

At that time, the Finance Minister remarked it would "put to rest the concept of a Palestinian state."

Population Facts and International Response

Approximately seven hundred thousand settlers dwell in about one hundred and sixty settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people envision for a future independent state.

This ongoing construction has provoked Arab states who have consistently argued it harms prospects for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore raised anxieties about the eventual formal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Former US President Donald Trump had previously cautioned Israel about annexation, telling a publication that Israel would lose its backing from the United States if it proceeded.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - joined by other nations such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a notable although largely symbolic adjustment in foreign policy.

The Israeli government was against this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a Palestinian state "is off the table."