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The nation's security cabinet has given its endorsement to the recognition of nineteen new outposts in the occupied Palestinian territories, representing a continued push for community development.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the measure together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the move was intended for thwarting the formation of a sovereign Palestine.

It is important to note that Jewish communities in the disputed territories are deemed in violation of international law.

The move has sparked censure from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" growth of communities heightens tensions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and undermines the viability of a sovereign Palestine.

Increased Tensions and Political Fallout

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has surged since the conflict in the Gaza Strip erupted in October 2023, adding to apprehensions that the growth of communities could entrench Israel's occupation and undermine the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states refers to the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, broadly along the borders that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has greatly accelerated the approval of new settlements and started the formal recognition for unauthorised settler outposts, designating them as "extensions" of existing settlements.

Ongoing Expansion

The most recent decision pushes the cumulative figure of communities approved over the last three years to sixty-nine, per the figures from Smotrich.

These approvals are announced just days after the United Nations reported that settlement expansion had attained its highest level since 2017.

The most recent batch of approvals includes the revival of a pair of settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about 20 years ago.

Previously, the Israeli government approved twenty-two new communities in the occupied West Bank - described as the biggest wave of approvals in many years.

Additionally, the government also approved projects in August to build more than 3,000 residences in the so-called E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been frozen for many years amid intense foreign opposition.

At that time, Smotrich said it would "end the notion of a Palestinian state."

Population Facts and Global Reactions

Approximately seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers dwell in around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israeli monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians seek for a future independent state.

This ongoing construction has drawn ire from Arab nations who have consistently contended it undermines prospects for a two-state solution.

It has furthermore fueled fears about the potential incorporation of the disputed territories.

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

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a Palestinian state, a significant although primarily ceremonial adjustment in official stance.

The Israeli government opposed this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "will not happen."