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The nation's top security body has voted to recognize the formalization of 19 additional settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories, signaling a continued drive for territorial growth.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who put forward the measure in concert with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the decision was about blocking the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are viewed as unlawful.

The announcement has elicited condemnation from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion heightens frictions, restricts Palestinians' access to territory, and undermines the feasibility of a independent Palestinian state.

Rising Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, adding to concerns that settlement expansion could deepen Israel's occupation and weaken the chance for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has ramped up the green-lighting of new settlements and begun the formal recognition for unauthorised outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of established settlements.

A Pattern of Growth

The latest decision pushes the cumulative figure of communities authorized over the last 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 reached its highest level since 2017.

The newest round of authorizations encompasses the revival of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed almost 20 years ago.

Earlier this year, Israel authorized twenty-two additional settlements in the occupied West Bank - what was the largest wave of approvals in many years.

Additionally, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for plans in August to erect more than 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a plan that had been stalled for many years amid strong global condemnation.

At that time, Smotrich stated it would "end the idea of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and Global Response

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers reside in approximately 160 communities in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians aspire to have for a prospective sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has provoked Arab states who have steadfastly contended it harms hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

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

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

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - together with other countries such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a significant although primarily ceremonial shift in foreign policy.

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