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The nation's security cabinet has formally approved the formalization of nineteen additional settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories, signaling a sustained push for territorial growth.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the step together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was intended for blocking the formation of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the disputed territories are viewed as unlawful.

The decision has elicited criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "relentless" growth of communities heightens frictions, restricts Palestinians' use of land, and undermines the feasibility of a sovereign Palestine.

Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the conflict in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023, further heightening fears that settlement expansion could solidify Israel's occupation and damage the prospects for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states envisions the formation of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along the lines that existed before the 1967 Middle East war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the authorization of fresh communities and begun the formal recognition for unauthorised settler outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of existing settlements.

A Pattern of Growth

The latest approval takes the total number of communities recognized over the past three years to 69, according to the Finance Minister.

These authorizations come only a few days after the United Nations said that construction in settlements had hit its highest level since the year 2017.

The most recent round of authorizations features the revival of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about in 2005.

In a previous move, Israel authorized 22 new communities in the territories - what was the largest wave of approvals in many years.

Additionally, the Israeli government sanctioned blueprints last summer to construct over 3,000 residences in the so-called E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a plan that had been on hold for decades amid strong foreign objection.

On that occasion, the Finance Minister stated it would "bury the idea of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and Global Reactions

Approximately seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers dwell in approximately one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israeli monitoring organization Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people seek for a prospective sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has provoked Arab nations who have steadfastly contended it erodes hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has also raised anxieties about the potential annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Former American President Donald Trump had once admonished the Israeli leadership about such a move, telling TIME magazine that the country would forfeit all its support from the US if it happened.

Recently, the UK - together with other countries such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a State of Palestine, a significant although primarily ceremonial adjustment in official stance.

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