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Israel's top security body has formally approved the recognition of 19 fresh settlements in the disputed West Bank, signaling a sustained drive for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and put forward the measure alongside Defense Chief Israel Katz, declared that the move was about thwarting the creation of a Palestinian state.

According to global statutes, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered unlawful.

The announcement has sparked criticism from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion exacerbates tensions, curtails Palestinians' access to land, and jeopardizes the viability of a sovereign Palestine.

Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Fallout

Clashes in the region has surged since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, further heightening apprehensions that the growth of communities could solidify the Israeli presence and weaken the chance for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states involves the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, broadly along the lines that were in place prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has ramped up the approval of fresh communities and begun the process of legalization for informal settler outposts, designating them as "neighbourhoods" of established settlements.

Ongoing Expansion

The most recent decision pushes the cumulative figure of communities recognized over the last three years to 69, per the figures from the Finance Minister.

These decisions come a short time after the UN reported that construction in settlements had reached its most intense pace since 2017.

The newest group of approvals includes the re-establishment of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated nearly two decades ago.

In a previous move, Israel gave the nod to 22 new settlements in the territories - described as the largest wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the government also approved projects last summer to erect more than 3,000 residences in the controversial E1 area between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that had been frozen for decades amid fierce foreign objection.

At that time, Smotrich stated it would "put to rest the notion of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and Global Reactions

Roughly 700,000 settlers live in around one hundred and sixty communities in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people seek for a future independent state.

Settlement expansion has provoked Arab nations who have steadfastly argued it undermines prospects for a two-state solution.

It has also sparked concerns about the potential annexing of the disputed territories.

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

In a policy change, the UK - joined by other nations such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a notable although primarily ceremonial shift in foreign policy.

Israel was against this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."