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Israel's security cabinet has voted to recognize the recognition of 19 additional settlements in the contested West Bank, representing a ongoing drive for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and put forward the step in concert with Defense Chief Israel Katz, stated that the decision was intended for thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are viewed as illegal.

The decision has elicited condemnation from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "unceasing" growth of communities exacerbates frictions, curtails Palestinians' use of land, and undermines the viability of a sovereign Palestine.

Escalating Unrest and Political Fallout

Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since the conflict in Gaza erupted in October 2023, adding to concerns that settlement expansion could solidify the Israeli presence and undermine the chance for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution refers to the creation of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the boundaries that were in place before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has ramped up the authorization of new settlements and started the formal recognition for previously illegal settler outposts, recognising them as "suburbs" of established communities.

Sustained Expansion

The latest decision takes the total number of settlements authorized over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, according to Minister Smotrich.

These authorizations come only a few days after the UN reported that settlement expansion had reached its highest level since the year 2017.

The most recent group of authorizations features the revival of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly two decades ago.

In a previous move, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 additional communities in the territories - described as the largest wave of approvals in many years.

Additionally, the government sanctioned plans last summer to erect more than 3,000 housing units in the so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a project that had been on hold for decades amid strong international condemnation.

On that occasion, the Finance Minister remarked it would "put to rest the notion of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and International Response

Roughly 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in around 160 communities in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians envision for a future independent state.

This ongoing construction has angered neighboring countries who have repeatedly argued it undermines hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

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

Former American President Donald Trump had previously admonished Israel about annexation, stating to a publication that the country would forfeit its backing from the United States if it happened.

In a policy change, the UK - together with other countries such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a major although largely symbolic shift in foreign policy.

Israel strongly rejected this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu saying that a sovereign Palestine "is off the table."