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Israel's top security body has given its endorsement to the recognition of 19 new outposts in the occupied West Bank, signaling a sustained push for territorial growth.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the move together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the move was aimed at thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the occupied West Bank are viewed as unlawful.

The move has elicited criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities fuels tensions, restricts Palestinians' use of territory, and threatens the prospects of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Escalating Unrest and Diplomatic Fallout

Clashes in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the hostilities in Gaza began in October 2023, further heightening apprehensions that the growth of communities could deepen Israel's occupation and damage the prospects for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states involves the establishment of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, roughly along the lines that existed prior to the 1967 Middle East war.

Since taking office in 2022, the present government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the authorization of new settlements and started the legalisation process for informal outposts, classifying them as "extensions" of established communities.

Sustained Growth

The most recent approval takes the total number of settlements recognized over the past three years to sixty-nine, per the figures from Smotrich.

These decisions come just days after the UN reported that construction in settlements had reached its peak since 2017.

The most recent batch of authorizations features the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly 20 years ago.

In a previous move, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 additional communities in the territories - what was the largest expansion in many years.

Additionally, the government sanctioned projects in August to construct over three thousand residences in the so-called E1 area between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been frozen for decades amid intense international condemnation.

Regarding that plan, the Finance Minister stated it would "put to rest the idea of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and International Response

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in approximately 160 communities in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israeli monitoring organization Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians seek for a prospective sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has drawn ire from neighboring countries who have consistently contended it undermines hopes for a two-state solution.

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

Former US President Donald Trump had once cautioned Israel about such a move, stating to TIME magazine that the country would forfeit all its support from the United States if it occurred.

Recently, the UK - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a significant although largely symbolic shift in foreign policy.

Israel strongly rejected this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "will not happen."