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The nation's defense cabinet has formally approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories, marking a sustained drive for community development.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and put forward the step together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, stated that the move was about blocking the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are considered illegal.

The announcement has drawn criticism from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities exacerbates tensions, restricts Palestinians' access to land, and jeopardizes the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Increased Unrest and Diplomatic Repercussions

Violence in the region has increased sharply since the war in the Gaza Strip started in the autumn of 2023, intensifying concerns that settlement expansion could entrench Israel's occupation and weaken the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states envisions the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, largely along the boundaries that were in place before the 1967 Middle East war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the approval of fresh communities and started the legalisation process for previously illegal outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of existing communities.

Sustained Growth

The most recent decision takes the total number of communities authorized over the past three years to sixty-nine, according to Smotrich.

These approvals are announced a short time after the UN stated that settlement expansion had reached its highest level since 2017.

The newest batch of authorizations includes the revival of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed almost two decades ago.

Earlier this year, Israel approved twenty-two new communities in the occupied West Bank - described as the most significant expansion in decades.

In a related development, the government sanctioned projects in August to build over three thousand housing units in the so-called E1 project between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that had been frozen for many years amid fierce foreign opposition.

Regarding that plan, the Finance Minister stated it would "put to rest the notion of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and International Reactions

Roughly 700,000 Israeli settlers live in about one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians envision for a future independent state.

Settlement expansion has provoked neighboring countries who have consistently argued it harms hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has also raised concerns about the potential formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had once warned the Israeli leadership about such a move, telling a publication that Israel would forfeit all its support from the US if it happened.

Recently, the UK - joined by other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a notable although primarily ceremonial change in official stance.

The Israeli government strongly rejected this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a sovereign Palestine "will not happen."