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The nation's defense cabinet has formally approved the establishment of nineteen fresh communities in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a sustained campaign for community development.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the measure in concert with Defense Chief Israel Katz, declared that the approval was about blocking the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are deemed illegal.

The announcement has elicited censure from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities exacerbates frictions, restricts Palestinian access to territory, and jeopardizes the prospects of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Rising Tensions and Political Fallout

Violence in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the conflict in Gaza started in the autumn of 2023, further heightening fears that the growth of communities could deepen Israel's occupation and weaken the chance for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states refers to the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, broadly along the lines that were in place before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the approval of new settlements and initiated the process of legalization for unauthorised outposts, recognising them as "neighbourhoods" of existing settlements.

A Pattern of Growth

The latest decision pushes the total number of settlements approved over the last three years to 69, according to Minister Smotrich.

These approvals are announced just days after the UN stated that settlement expansion had attained its peak since the year 2017.

The newest batch of authorizations includes the re-establishment of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed almost in 2005.

Earlier this year, Israel approved 22 new communities in the occupied West Bank - described as the most significant wave of approvals in decades.

In a related development, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for blueprints in August to build over three thousand residences in the controversial E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been frozen for decades amid fierce foreign condemnation.

Regarding that plan, Smotrich remarked it would "put to rest the idea of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and Global Response

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers reside in about 160 communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people envision for a future independent state.

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

It has furthermore raised anxieties about the eventual annexing of the disputed territories.

Former US President Donald Trump had previously admonished Israel about such a move, telling a publication that Israel would forfeit all its support from the US if it happened.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - along with other nations such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a State of Palestine, a notable although largely symbolic adjustment in government policy.

The Israeli government opposed this step, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a sovereign Palestine "is not going to occur."