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

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the measure together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was intended for blocking the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are considered unlawful.

The decision has elicited criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion fuels tensions, limits Palestinian use of land, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Political Fallout

Violence in the region has escalated since the hostilities in the Gaza Strip erupted in October 2023, adding to fears that the growth of communities could deepen Israel's occupation and weaken the possibility for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states refers to the establishment of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, largely along the boundaries that were in place prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Since taking office in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the approval of fresh communities and begun the process of legalization for informal settler outposts, classifying them as "suburbs" of existing settlements.

A Pattern of Expansion

The latest approval brings the overall count of communities recognized over the past three years to sixty-nine, as stated by Smotrich.

These authorizations come just days after the United Nations stated that settlement expansion had reached its peak since the year 2017.

The most recent group of approvals features the rebuilding of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed nearly 20 years ago.

Previously, Israel gave the nod to 22 additional settlements in the occupied West Bank - described as the largest expansion in decades.

Furthermore, the Israeli government also approved blueprints last summer to build more than three thousand housing units in the controversial E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a initiative that had been frozen for many years amid fierce international opposition.

On that occasion, Smotrich said it would "put to rest the concept of a Palestinian state."

Population Facts and International Response

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers reside in about one hundred and sixty communities in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people seek for a future sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has angered Arab nations who have steadfastly argued it erodes hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked anxieties about the eventual annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had once cautioned the Israeli leadership about this step, telling a publication that Israel would forfeit its backing from the US if it occurred.

Recently, the United Kingdom - joined by other nations such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a major although largely symbolic change in foreign policy.

The Israeli government opposed this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."