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Israel's defense cabinet has formally approved the formalization of nineteen additional communities in the disputed West Bank, signaling a ongoing drive for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the move together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, declared that the approval was aimed at preventing the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are deemed in violation of international law.

The decision has sparked censure from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion heightens frictions, limits Palestinian access to territory, and jeopardizes the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Increased Tensions and Political Fallout

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has surged since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, intensifying apprehensions that settlement expansion could solidify Israel's occupation and undermine the possibility for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states envisions the creation of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, largely along the lines that existed prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the incumbent Israeli government has significantly increased the authorization of new settlements and started the process of legalization for previously illegal settler outposts, classifying them as "neighbourhoods" of existing communities.

A Pattern of Expansion

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

These authorizations come a short time after the UN reported that construction in settlements had reached its highest level since 2017.

The newest group of approvals features the revival of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly in 2005.

Previously, Israel gave the nod to 22 additional communities in the territories - described as the most significant wave of approvals in decades.

Furthermore, the Israeli government also approved projects in August to erect more than 3,000 homes in the controversial E1 project between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a initiative that had been on hold for decades amid fierce international condemnation.

Regarding that plan, Smotrich remarked it would "bury the notion of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and Global Reactions

Roughly seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers dwell in around 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 territory that the Palestinian people aspire to have for a future sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has angered neighboring countries who have repeatedly said it erodes chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked fears about the possible formal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Former US President Donald Trump had once warned Israel about such a move, telling TIME magazine that the country would forfeit all its support from the US if it occurred.

Recently, the UK - joined by other nations including Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic shift in foreign policy.

Israel was against the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."