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Israel's defense cabinet has voted to recognize the recognition of 19 additional settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, marking a sustained drive for community development.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the move together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, declared that the decision was about blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is important to note that Jewish communities in the disputed territories are considered illegal.

The move has drawn condemnation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities exacerbates frictions, restricts Palestinian access to territory, and threatens the prospects of a independent Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Clashes in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the war in Gaza started in the autumn of 2023, further heightening concerns that the growth of communities could deepen the Israeli presence and undermine the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states involves the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the lines that existed prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Since taking office in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has ramped up the approval of new settlements and initiated the formal recognition for previously illegal settler outposts, recognising them as "extensions" of existing communities.

Sustained Expansion

The latest approval pushes the overall count of communities approved over the past three years to sixty-nine, per the figures from Minister Smotrich.

These decisions come only a few days after the UN reported that construction in settlements had attained its highest level since 2017.

The newest group of approvals includes the revival of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated about 20 years ago.

In a previous move, Israel gave the nod to 22 additional communities in the territories - labeled as the biggest expansion in many years.

Furthermore, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for blueprints last summer to erect more than 3,000 homes in the so-called E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been on hold for decades amid fierce international objection.

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

Demographic Facts and Global Response

Approximately seven hundred thousand settlers live in approximately 160 settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians envision for a prospective sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has drawn ire from Arab states who have steadfastly argued it undermines prospects for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore fueled anxieties about the eventual formal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- US President Donald Trump had previously admonished the Israeli leadership about such a move, telling a publication that Israel would forfeit its backing from the United States if it proceeded.

Recently, the United Kingdom - along with other nations including Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a notable although primarily ceremonial change in official stance.

The Israeli government strongly rejected this step, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu saying that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."