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Israel's defense cabinet has given its endorsement to the recognition of nineteen additional communities in the disputed Palestinian territories, representing a ongoing drive for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and put forward the step alongside Defense Chief Israel Katz, declared that the approval was intended for thwarting the creation of a Palestinian state.

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

The decision has drawn condemnation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" growth of communities heightens tensions, limits Palestinians' access to territory, and undermines the viability of a sovereign Palestine.

Rising Unrest and Diplomatic Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has surged since the war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023, adding to fears that the growth of communities could deepen Israel's occupation and undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, largely along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since taking office in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has ramped up the authorization of fresh communities and begun the legalisation process for unauthorised settler outposts, recognising them as "suburbs" of existing communities.

Ongoing Growth

The latest decision takes the cumulative figure of communities recognized over the last three years to sixty-nine, according to Smotrich.

These authorizations are announced just days after the United Nations stated that construction in settlements had attained its highest level since 2017.

The most recent batch of authorizations includes the revival of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated about 20 years ago.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government approved 22 additional settlements in the territories - labeled as the most significant expansion in decades.

Additionally, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for blueprints in August to construct in excess of 3,000 homes in the controversial E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been frozen for decades amid fierce global condemnation.

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

Demographic Facts and Global Response

An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in approximately 160 settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people envision for a prospective independent state.

Settlement expansion has provoked neighboring countries who have consistently said it harms prospects for a two-state solution.

It has also sparked fears about the possible formal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had once warned Israel about such a move, telling a publication that Israel would lose all its support from the United States if it happened.

Recently, the UK - joined by other nations such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a notable although primarily ceremonial change in government policy.

The Israeli government was against the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "will not happen."