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Israel's defense cabinet has given its endorsement to the establishment of nineteen fresh settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories, representing a continued drive for territorial growth.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the measure alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the decision was intended for blocking the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

According to global statutes, Jewish communities in the disputed territories are considered in violation of international law.

The move has sparked condemnation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion fuels tensions, restricts Palestinian access to territory, and undermines the feasibility of a sovereign Palestine.

Rising Unrest and Diplomatic Fallout

Unrest in the region has increased sharply since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, further heightening apprehensions that settlement expansion could deepen Israel's occupation and weaken the chance for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states involves the establishment of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, roughly along the lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has significantly increased the authorization of fresh communities and initiated the legalisation process for informal settler outposts, classifying them as "neighbourhoods" of existing settlements.

Ongoing Growth

The most recent decision brings the total number of settlements recognized over the past three years to sixty-nine, per the figures from Smotrich.

These decisions arrive just days after the United Nations said that construction in settlements had reached its most intense pace since the year 2017.

The latest round of authorizations features the rebuilding of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed nearly in 2005.

In a previous move, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 additional communities in the occupied West Bank - what was the largest wave of approvals in decades.

Furthermore, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for projects in August to build over 3,000 homes in the so-called E1 project between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a project that had been on hold for many years amid intense foreign opposition.

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

Population Realities and International Response

Approximately 700,000 settlers dwell in around one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians aspire to have for a future sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has provoked Arab nations who have steadfastly contended it undermines chances for a two-state solution.

It has also raised fears about the potential annexing of the disputed territories.

Former US President Donald Trump had once warned Israel about this step, telling a publication that the country would forfeit its backing from the United States if it happened.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a notable although primarily ceremonial shift in government policy.

Israel opposed this step, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."