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Israel's security cabinet has formally approved the formalization of nineteen additional communities in the disputed West Bank, representing a continued campaign for settlement expansion.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the step alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the approval was intended for preventing the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are deemed illegal.

The announcement has elicited criticism from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion exacerbates frictions, limits Palestinians' access to land, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a independent Palestinian state.

Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the war in Gaza started in the autumn of 2023, adding to apprehensions that settlement expansion could deepen the Israeli presence and weaken the possibility for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution involves the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Middle East war.

Upon assuming leadership in 2022, the present government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the authorization of fresh communities and started the legalisation process for informal settler outposts, classifying them as "suburbs" of existing settlements.

A Pattern of Growth

The latest approval pushes the overall count of communities authorized over the preceding 36 months to 69, according to Smotrich.

These approvals are announced just days after the UN said that settlement expansion had attained its most intense pace since the year 2017.

The most recent group of authorizations includes the revival of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated nearly two decades ago.

In a previous move, the Israeli government approved twenty-two new communities in the territories - described as the largest wave of approvals in decades.

In a related development, the government gave the go-ahead for plans last summer to build over 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a project that had been on hold for many years amid strong international objection.

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

Population Realities and Global Response

An estimated seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers live in around one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people aspire to have for a prospective sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has provoked neighboring countries who have steadfastly argued it harms prospects for a two-state solution.

It has also sparked concerns about the eventual incorporation of the disputed territories.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had once cautioned Israel about such a move, stating to TIME magazine that the country would lose its backing from the United States if it happened.

Recently, the UK - together with other countries such as Australia and Canada - recognised a Palestinian state, a notable although largely symbolic change in government policy.

The Israeli government strongly rejected this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."