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The nation's defense cabinet has given its endorsement to the recognition of 19 new communities in the occupied Palestinian territories, marking a sustained campaign for settlement expansion.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the measure together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, stated that the move was aimed at thwarting the formation of a sovereign Palestine.

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

The move has drawn criticism from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities fuels frictions, curtails Palestinians' use of territory, and jeopardizes the viability of a independent Palestine.

Rising Unrest and Diplomatic Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the hostilities in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023, further heightening fears that the growth of communities could solidify the Israeli presence and undermine the possibility for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution involves the formation of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the borders that were in place prior to the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Since taking office in 2022, the present government in Jerusalem has ramped up the authorization of fresh communities and initiated the formal recognition for previously illegal outposts, classifying them as "neighbourhoods" of existing communities.

Ongoing Growth

The latest approval brings the overall count of settlements recognized over the last three years to 69, according to the Finance Minister.

These authorizations come just days after the UN said that settlement expansion had reached its highest level since the year 2017.

The most recent batch of authorizations features the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed nearly two decades ago.

Previously, the Israeli government approved twenty-two additional settlements in the territories - labeled as the most significant wave of approvals in many years.

Furthermore, the government gave the go-ahead for blueprints last summer to erect more than three thousand homes in the so-called E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been frozen for decades amid fierce foreign objection.

At that time, the Finance Minister remarked it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Realities and International Reactions

Roughly seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers live in about 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people seek for a future independent state.

This ongoing construction has provoked neighboring countries who have repeatedly contended it undermines prospects for a two-state solution.

It has also sparked anxieties about the eventual incorporation of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- American President Donald Trump had previously cautioned Israel about annexation, telling a publication that Israel would lose all its support from the US if it happened.

Recently, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - formally recognized a State of Palestine, a significant although primarily ceremonial adjustment in foreign policy.

Israel strongly rejected the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a Palestinian state "is off the table."