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The nation's top security body has given its endorsement to the establishment of 19 additional communities in the contested West Bank, signaling a continued push for territorial growth.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the measure together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the move was aimed at blocking the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

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

The decision has elicited criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "unceasing" growth of communities heightens frictions, limits Palestinian access to land, and jeopardizes the prospects of a sovereign Palestine.

Increased Unrest and Political Fallout

Unrest in the region has escalated since the hostilities in the Gaza Strip started in the autumn of 2023, adding to concerns that settlement expansion could solidify the Israeli presence and undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution refers to the creation of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, broadly along the lines that were in place prior to 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 initiated the legalisation process for informal outposts, designating them as "neighbourhoods" of established communities.

Ongoing Growth

The latest approval pushes the overall count of settlements authorized over the past three years to 69, as stated by Minister Smotrich.

These approvals come just days after the UN stated that construction in settlements had attained its peak since the year 2017.

The latest batch of approvals encompasses the revival of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly two decades ago.

Previously, the Israeli government approved 22 additional settlements in the territories - described as the biggest wave of approvals in decades.

Additionally, the government sanctioned blueprints in August to construct more than 3,000 homes in the controversial E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been stalled for many years amid intense foreign opposition.

At that time, Smotrich said it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and International Reactions

Approximately 700,000 settlers dwell in approximately 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians aspire to have for a future independent state.

Settlement expansion has drawn ire from Arab nations who have steadfastly said it undermines hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked concerns about the possible annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- American President Donald Trump had once warned the Israeli leadership about such a move, stating to a publication that Israel would lose all its support from the United States if it occurred.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - joined by other nations such as Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic change in official stance.

The Israeli government opposed this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is off the table."