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The nation's top security body has given its endorsement to the recognition of 19 new communities in the disputed Palestinian territories, marking a continued drive for community development.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the step alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was about blocking the formation of a sovereign Palestine.

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

The decision has elicited criticism from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion exacerbates frictions, curtails Palestinians' access to land, and undermines the prospects of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Escalating Tensions and Political Repercussions

Violence in the region has surged since the hostilities in Gaza erupted in October 2023, intensifying concerns that the growth of communities could deepen the Israeli presence and weaken the possibility for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states involves the formation of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, largely along the boundaries that were in place prior to the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since taking office in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the approval of fresh communities and started the legalisation process for informal settler outposts, recognising them as "extensions" of existing settlements.

Ongoing Expansion

The latest decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the last three years to 69, according to Smotrich.

These decisions come only a few days after the UN said that settlement expansion had attained its peak since the year 2017.

The most recent round of approvals includes the re-establishment of a pair of settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed almost two decades ago.

Previously, Israel approved twenty-two additional communities in the territories - what was the most significant wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for plans in August to build more than 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 project between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been frozen for decades amid intense foreign condemnation.

Regarding that plan, Smotrich stated it would "bury the notion of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Realities and Global Response

Approximately seven hundred thousand settlers dwell in approximately one hundred and sixty communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people aspire to have for a future independent state.

Settlement expansion has drawn ire from Arab states who have consistently argued it erodes chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has also raised fears about the possible formal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Former American President Donald Trump had once admonished the Israeli leadership about this step, stating to a publication that the country would lose all its support from the US if it happened.

In a diplomatic shift, the UK - together with other nations including Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a notable although largely symbolic adjustment in government policy.

Israel opposed this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."