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Israel's top security body has given its endorsement to the establishment of 19 additional settlements in the contested West Bank, representing a ongoing push for settlement expansion.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the decision was about preventing the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

It is important to note that Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are considered unlawful.

The announcement has sparked criticism from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion exacerbates frictions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and threatens the viability of a independent Palestinian state.

Rising Tensions and Diplomatic Fallout

Clashes in the region has increased sharply since the hostilities in the Gaza Strip started in the autumn of 2023, adding to concerns that the growth of communities could entrench the Israeli presence and undermine 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 seat of government, roughly along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the authorization of fresh communities and started the legalisation process for informal outposts, classifying them as "neighbourhoods" of existing communities.

Ongoing Expansion

The most recent approval pushes the overall count of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, as stated by the Finance Minister.

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

The newest round of approvals features the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about two decades ago.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 new communities in the territories - described as the largest expansion in many years.

Additionally, the Israeli government sanctioned plans last summer to erect over 3,000 residences in the so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been on hold for many years amid strong foreign opposition.

On that occasion, Smotrich said it would "put to rest the idea of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Realities and International Reactions

An estimated seven hundred thousand settlers live in around one hundred and sixty settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians aspire to have for a future sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has provoked Arab states who have consistently said it erodes chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has also sparked fears about the possible annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Former US President Donald Trump had once admonished Israel about this step, telling TIME magazine that the country would forfeit its backing from the United States if it occurred.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - along with other countries such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic shift in official stance.

The Israeli government strongly rejected this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that a Palestinian state "is off the table."