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Israel's top security body has formally approved the recognition of 19 additional outposts in the disputed West Bank, marking a continued drive for settlement expansion.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who put forward the step in concert with Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the approval was intended for blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is important to note that Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal.

The decision has sparked criticism from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "relentless" growth of communities exacerbates frictions, curtails Palestinians' access to land, and undermines the prospects of a independent Palestinian state.

Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Fallout

Clashes in the region has increased sharply since the war in Gaza started in the autumn of 2023, further heightening concerns that settlement expansion could solidify Israel's occupation and damage the chance for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution involves the creation of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, broadly along the boundaries that were in place prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the approval of new settlements and initiated the legalisation process for previously illegal settler outposts, classifying them as "suburbs" of established settlements.

Sustained Expansion

The latest decision takes the total number of communities recognized over the past three years to sixty-nine, as stated by Smotrich.

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

The latest group of approvals features the rebuilding of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about 20 years ago.

Previously, Israel authorized 22 additional communities in the territories - described as the biggest expansion in many years.

In a related development, the government sanctioned plans last summer to construct over 3,000 homes in the so-called E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been stalled for decades amid strong foreign opposition.

Regarding that plan, Smotrich stated it would "end the concept of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and International Reactions

Roughly 700,000 settlers dwell in around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians aspire to have for a future sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has drawn ire from neighboring countries who have repeatedly said it erodes chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

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

Former American President Donald Trump had previously warned Israel about such a move, stating to a publication that Israel would lose its backing from the United States if it proceeded.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - together with other countries such as Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a significant although primarily ceremonial shift in foreign policy.

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