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The nation's security cabinet has formally approved the formalization of 19 fresh outposts in the contested Palestinian territories, signaling a continued push for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the measure in concert with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was intended for blocking the formation of a sovereign Palestine.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are viewed as illegal.

The announcement has sparked criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion fuels tensions, limits Palestinians' use of territory, and undermines the prospects of a independent Palestinian state.

Escalating Unrest and Political Fallout

Unrest in the region has surged since the war in the Gaza Strip started in the autumn of 2023, further heightening fears that the growth of communities could solidify the Israeli presence and weaken the chance for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution involves the formation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Since coming to power in 2022, the incumbent Israeli government has significantly increased the approval of fresh communities and started the process of legalization for unauthorised settler outposts, classifying them as "extensions" of established communities.

Ongoing Growth

The most recent approval brings the overall count of settlements authorized over the last three years to sixty-nine, per the figures from Minister Smotrich.

These authorizations are announced only a few days after the United Nations stated that construction in settlements had hit its most intense pace since the year 2017.

The latest group of approvals includes the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed almost two decades ago.

Previously, Israel approved 22 new communities in the territories - described as the most significant expansion in many years.

Furthermore, the government gave the go-ahead for projects last summer to erect over three thousand residences in the controversial E1 area between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been frozen for decades amid strong global condemnation.

Regarding that plan, Smotrich remarked it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and International Response

An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers reside in around 160 settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians aspire to have for a prospective sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has drawn ire from Arab nations who have repeatedly said it harms chances for a two-state solution.

It has furthermore raised fears about the potential annexing of the disputed territories.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had once admonished Israel about annexation, telling TIME magazine that the country would lose all its support from the US if it happened.

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a major although primarily ceremonial adjustment in government policy.

Israel strongly rejected this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a Palestinian state "is off the table."