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The nation's security cabinet has formally approved the recognition of 19 new outposts in the disputed West Bank, marking a continued drive for territorial growth.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the move alongside Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was about thwarting the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

According to global statutes, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal.

The decision has drawn condemnation from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion exacerbates tensions, restricts Palestinians' access to territory, and undermines the prospects of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Escalating Unrest and Diplomatic Fallout

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the hostilities in Gaza began in October 2023, intensifying apprehensions that the growth of communities could deepen the Israeli presence and undermine the chance for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution envisions the creation of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along the borders that were in place prior to the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since taking office in 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the approval of new settlements and begun the formal recognition for informal settler outposts, designating them as "extensions" of established communities.

Ongoing Growth

The latest decision takes the overall count of settlements authorized over the last three years to 69, per the figures from Smotrich.

These approvals are announced just days after the UN reported that settlement expansion had reached its peak since the year 2017.

The most recent group 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 twenty-two additional communities in the occupied West Bank - what was the most significant wave of approvals in many years.

Additionally, the Israeli government sanctioned plans last summer to construct in excess of 3,000 homes in the so-called E1 project between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a project that had been stalled for many years amid strong global condemnation.

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

Population Realities and Global Reactions

Approximately seven hundred thousand settlers live in approximately 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians aspire to have for a prospective independent state.

Settlement expansion has angered Arab states who have consistently argued it harms hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked anxieties about the eventual annexing of the disputed territories.

Former US President Donald Trump had previously warned the Israeli leadership about annexation, telling a publication that the country would lose all its support from the United States if it happened.

In a policy change, the UK - together with other nations including Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic adjustment in foreign policy.

The Israeli government was against this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "is not going to occur."