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Israel's security cabinet has formally approved the establishment of 19 fresh outposts in the contested Palestinian territories, signaling a ongoing campaign for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and put forward the move together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, stated that the approval was aimed at thwarting the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the disputed territories are deemed illegal.

The decision has elicited censure from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities exacerbates frictions, limits Palestinians' use of land, and jeopardizes the viability of a independent Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Political Repercussions

Clashes in the region has increased sharply since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, intensifying fears that settlement expansion could deepen the Israeli presence and damage the prospects for a two-state solution.

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

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the authorization of new settlements and begun the process of legalization for previously illegal outposts, recognising them as "extensions" of established settlements.

Sustained Expansion

The latest approval takes the overall count of settlements authorized over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, according to Smotrich.

These approvals are announced a short time after the UN said that settlement expansion had hit its highest level since the year 2017.

The newest group of approvals encompasses the revival of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly in 2005.

Previously, Israel approved twenty-two additional communities in the territories - labeled as the largest expansion in many years.

In a related development, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for projects in August to construct over 3,000 residences in the so-called E1 project between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a initiative that had been on hold for decades amid intense foreign objection.

On that occasion, the Finance Minister remarked it would "put to rest the idea of a Palestinian state."

Population Facts and Global Response

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers reside in approximately one hundred and sixty communities in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people seek for a prospective sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has provoked neighboring countries who have steadfastly said it harms prospects for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked anxieties about the eventual annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Former US President Donald Trump had previously admonished the Israeli leadership about this step, telling a publication that Israel would forfeit its backing from the US if it proceeded.

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - formally recognized a State of Palestine, a major although primarily ceremonial change in government policy.

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