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

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and put forward the measure in concert with Defense Chief Israel Katz, stated that the move was about blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are considered unlawful.

The move has drawn censure from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion heightens tensions, restricts Palestinians' access to territory, and jeopardizes the viability of a sovereign Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, intensifying apprehensions that settlement expansion could entrench the Israeli presence and undermine the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states refers to the formation of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, broadly along the borders that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the authorization of new settlements and initiated the formal recognition for informal settler outposts, classifying them as "extensions" of established communities.

Ongoing Expansion

The most recent decision pushes the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to sixty-nine, as stated by Smotrich.

These decisions arrive just days after the UN said that settlement expansion had hit its highest level since 2017.

The newest round of approvals includes the rebuilding of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly 20 years ago.

Previously, the Israeli government authorized 22 additional communities in the territories - labeled as the most significant wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the Israeli government sanctioned blueprints in August to build in excess of three thousand residences in the so-called E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a project that had been frozen for many years amid fierce foreign condemnation.

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

Population Realities and Global Response

Approximately seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers reside in around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israeli monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians aspire to have for a prospective independent state.

Settlement expansion has provoked neighboring countries who have steadfastly argued it undermines chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked anxieties about the potential formal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- American President Donald Trump had once warned the Israeli leadership about annexation, telling TIME magazine that Israel would forfeit its backing from the US if it proceeded.

In a policy change, the UK - joined by other countries such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a significant although largely symbolic adjustment in foreign policy.

Israel opposed this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "will not happen."