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The nation's top security body has given its endorsement to the recognition of nineteen new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a ongoing push for settlement expansion.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the measure alongside Defense Chief Israel Katz, declared that the decision was aimed at preventing the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the disputed territories are considered in violation of international law.

The decision has drawn censure from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion fuels frictions, restricts Palestinians' use of territory, and undermines the feasibility of a independent Palestinian state.

Rising Tensions and Political Repercussions

Violence in the region has surged since the war in Gaza erupted in the autumn of 2023, adding to apprehensions that the growth of communities could entrench Israel's occupation and weaken the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states involves the formation of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since taking office in late 2022, the current Israeli government has greatly accelerated the approval of new settlements and initiated the process of legalization for informal outposts, classifying them as "suburbs" of existing communities.

Sustained Expansion

The most recent decision pushes the overall count of settlements authorized over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, per the figures from Minister Smotrich.

These approvals are announced just days after the United Nations stated that settlement expansion had hit its highest level since 2017.

The newest group of approvals encompasses the re-establishment of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly in 2005.

Earlier this year, Israel approved 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank - described as the biggest expansion in many years.

Additionally, the Israeli government sanctioned projects last summer to erect in excess of three thousand homes in the so-called E1 area between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been frozen for decades amid strong international condemnation.

Regarding that plan, Smotrich said it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and International Response

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in approximately 160 settlements in the occupied territories, according to 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 drawn ire from Arab states who have repeatedly contended it harms hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has also raised fears about the potential incorporation of the disputed territories.

Former American President Donald Trump had once warned Israel about this step, stating to a publication that the country would forfeit its backing from the US if it happened.

Recently, the UK - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a notable although primarily ceremonial adjustment in foreign policy.

The Israeli government opposed the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "is off the table."