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Israel's top security body has formally approved the recognition of nineteen additional settlements in the contested West Bank, signaling a continued campaign for settlement expansion.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the measure alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the move was about thwarting the formation of a sovereign Palestine.

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

The move has sparked condemnation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion heightens frictions, restricts Palestinians' access to land, and jeopardizes the viability of a independent Palestinian state.

Increased Unrest and Diplomatic Repercussions

Violence in the region has escalated since the war in the Gaza Strip started in the autumn of 2023, intensifying concerns that the growth of communities could deepen Israel's occupation and damage the possibility for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states envisions the establishment of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, roughly along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Upon assuming leadership in 2022, the current Israeli government has significantly increased the approval of new settlements and started the legalisation process for informal outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of existing settlements.

Sustained Expansion

The most recent decision pushes the overall count of communities approved over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, as stated by Smotrich.

These approvals are announced a short time after the United Nations said that settlement expansion had hit its highest level since the year 2017.

The latest group of approvals features the revival of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed almost two decades ago.

Previously, Israel gave the nod to twenty-two additional settlements in the territories - described as the largest expansion in decades.

Additionally, the government sanctioned blueprints last summer to construct more than 3,000 residences in the controversial E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a plan that had been on hold for decades amid strong international objection.

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

Population Realities and Global Reactions

Approximately seven hundred thousand settlers live in about 160 communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people seek for a prospective sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has angered Arab nations who have repeatedly contended it erodes chances for a two-state solution.

It has furthermore sparked fears about the potential formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had once cautioned the Israeli leadership about annexation, stating to a publication that Israel would forfeit all its support from the US if it occurred.

Recently, the United Kingdom - along with other countries including Australia and Canada - formally recognized a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic change in foreign policy.

The Israeli government was against this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a sovereign Palestine "is not going to occur."