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Israel's top security body has formally approved the formalization of 19 fresh communities in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a ongoing campaign for territorial growth.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and put forward the measure in concert with Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the decision was about blocking the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

According to global statutes, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are deemed in violation of international law.

The announcement has drawn censure from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion exacerbates frictions, curtails Palestinians' access to territory, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Diplomatic Fallout

Unrest in the region has increased sharply since the war in Gaza began in the autumn of 2023, intensifying apprehensions that the growth of communities could deepen 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 State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, largely along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Since taking office in late 2022, the current Israeli government has significantly increased the green-lighting of new settlements and started the process of legalization for informal settler outposts, recognising them as "neighbourhoods" of existing settlements.

A Pattern of Expansion

The latest decision pushes the overall count of settlements recognized over the last three years to 69, according to the Finance Minister.

These decisions are announced just days after the United Nations reported that construction in settlements had reached its highest level since 2017.

The newest round of approvals features the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed nearly in 2005.

In a previous move, the Israeli government gave the nod to twenty-two new settlements in the territories - described as the largest wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the Israeli government also approved blueprints last summer to construct over 3,000 housing units in the so-called E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been frozen for decades amid fierce global opposition.

At that time, the Finance Minister said it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Population Facts and Global Reactions

Roughly seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers reside in around one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians envision for a future independent state.

This ongoing construction has provoked Arab states who have consistently contended it harms chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has also sparked fears about the eventual formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former US President Donald Trump had once admonished the Israeli leadership about annexation, stating to TIME magazine that the country would lose all its support from the United States if it occurred.

Recently, the UK - together with other nations including Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a notable although largely symbolic adjustment in government policy.

The Israeli government opposed this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that a Palestinian state "is off the table."