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Israel's top security body has voted to recognize the establishment of 19 new communities in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a continued campaign for territorial growth.

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

According to global statutes, Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are deemed unlawful.

The decision has elicited criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities heightens tensions, curtails Palestinian access to territory, and threatens the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Violence in the region has escalated since the conflict in the Gaza Strip started in the autumn of 2023, intensifying concerns that the growth of communities could solidify the Israeli presence and damage the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states involves the formation of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the borders that were in place before the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the current Israeli government has ramped up the green-lighting of fresh communities and begun the legalisation process for informal settler outposts, designating them as "extensions" of established settlements.

Ongoing Growth

The latest decision brings the cumulative figure of settlements recognized over the last three years to 69, as stated by Minister Smotrich.

These authorizations come just days after the United Nations reported that settlement expansion had hit its peak since 2017.

The latest group of authorizations encompasses the rebuilding of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated nearly two decades ago.

In a previous move, Israel approved twenty-two new settlements in the occupied West Bank - labeled as the biggest wave of approvals in many years.

Furthermore, the government also approved blueprints last summer to erect in excess of three thousand residences in the so-called E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been stalled for decades amid intense international objection.

On that occasion, the Finance Minister said it would "end the idea of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Realities and International Response

An estimated seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers dwell in approximately one hundred and sixty communities 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 sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has drawn ire from neighboring countries who have steadfastly argued it erodes prospects for a two-state solution.

It has furthermore sparked concerns about the eventual formal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Former American President Donald Trump had once cautioned Israel about annexation, stating to a publication that the country would forfeit its backing from the United States if it happened.

In a diplomatic shift, the UK - together with other countries such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a major although primarily ceremonial adjustment in government policy.

Israel was against this step, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu saying that a Palestinian state "will not happen."