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The nation's security cabinet has formally approved the establishment of 19 additional communities in the disputed Palestinian territories, marking a sustained push for community development.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who put forward the move together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the decision was about thwarting the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are considered unlawful.

The move has drawn condemnation from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion fuels tensions, limits Palestinian access to land, and undermines the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Clashes in the region has increased sharply since the war in the Gaza Strip erupted in the autumn of 2023, further heightening apprehensions that settlement expansion could deepen Israel's occupation and undermine the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution refers to the creation of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, broadly along the borders that were in place prior to the 1967 Middle East war.

Since taking office in 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the green-lighting of new settlements and initiated the legalisation process for unauthorised settler outposts, classifying them as "suburbs" of existing settlements.

A Pattern of Growth

The latest approval pushes the cumulative figure of settlements authorized over the past three years to 69, per the figures from the Finance Minister.

These approvals are announced only a few days after the UN reported that construction in settlements had hit its highest level since 2017.

The newest round of authorizations includes the revival of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled almost two decades ago.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 new communities in the territories - what was the biggest expansion in decades.

Additionally, the Israeli government sanctioned blueprints in August to build in excess of 3,000 housing units in the so-called E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been stalled for decades amid strong foreign objection.

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

Population Facts and International Reactions

An estimated seven hundred thousand settlers reside in around 160 communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people aspire to have for a future sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has angered Arab states who have repeatedly argued it harms chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

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

Ex- American President Donald Trump had once admonished Israel about such a move, telling a publication that Israel would lose all its support from the US if it occurred.

Recently, the UK - along with other countries such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a notable although primarily ceremonial change in foreign policy.

Israel opposed this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "will not happen."