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The nation's top security body has formally approved the establishment of nineteen new communities in the occupied Palestinian territories, marking a sustained push for community development.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the measure alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the approval was about thwarting the formation of a Palestinian state.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered in violation of international law.

The announcement has elicited censure from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion exacerbates tensions, limits Palestinians' use of land, and threatens the viability of a sovereign Palestine.

Rising Unrest and Political Repercussions

Violence in the occupied West Bank has escalated 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 creation of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, broadly along the lines that were in place prior to the 1967 Middle East war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has ramped up the authorization of fresh communities and initiated the formal recognition for unauthorised outposts, designating them as "extensions" of existing communities.

Sustained Expansion

The most recent decision takes the overall count of settlements recognized over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, according to Minister Smotrich.

These authorizations arrive only a few days after the UN stated that settlement expansion had attained its highest level since the year 2017.

The latest group of approvals encompasses the revival of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated about 20 years ago.

Earlier this year, Israel approved 22 new communities in the occupied West Bank - described as the most significant wave of approvals in decades.

Additionally, the government sanctioned projects in August to erect over 3,000 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 foreign opposition.

At that time, Smotrich stated it would "end the idea of a Palestinian state."

Population Facts and International Response

Approximately seven hundred thousand settlers reside in around one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians envision for a prospective independent state.

This ongoing construction has provoked Arab nations who have steadfastly argued it erodes prospects for a two-state solution.

It has also fueled anxieties about the possible annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Former American President Donald Trump had once warned the Israeli leadership about annexation, telling a publication that Israel would lose its backing from the US if it occurred.

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - together with other nations such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a significant although largely symbolic adjustment in government policy.

The Israeli government strongly rejected the move, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is off the table."