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Israel's top security body has voted to recognize the recognition of nineteen new communities in the occupied West Bank, marking a ongoing push for community development.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the move alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, declared that the decision was about thwarting the establishment of a sovereign Palestine.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed unlawful.

The announcement has elicited censure from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion exacerbates frictions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and undermines the prospects of a sovereign Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Diplomatic Fallout

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the hostilities in Gaza started in October 2023, further heightening concerns that settlement expansion could solidify the Israeli presence and damage the chance for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution involves the establishment of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, largely along the lines that were in place before the 1967 Middle East war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the present Israeli government has greatly accelerated the approval of fresh communities and begun the process of legalization for informal settler outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of established settlements.

Ongoing Expansion

The latest decision takes the cumulative figure of settlements recognized over the last three years to sixty-nine, per the figures from the Finance Minister.

These decisions are announced just days after the United Nations said that settlement expansion had reached its most intense pace since 2017.

The most recent round of approvals encompasses the revival of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about two decades ago.

In a previous move, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 new communities in the occupied West Bank - what was the largest expansion in decades.

In a related development, the Israeli government also approved projects last summer to construct over 3,000 residences in the so-called E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a plan that had been stalled for many years amid fierce foreign condemnation.

At that time, Smotrich remarked it would "put to rest the notion of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Realities and Global Response

An estimated seven hundred thousand settlers dwell in around 160 communities in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israeli monitoring organization Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people envision for a future sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has drawn ire from Arab nations who have repeatedly contended it undermines chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore raised fears about the eventual formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former American President Donald Trump had previously cautioned the Israeli leadership about annexation, stating to TIME magazine that Israel would forfeit all its support from the US if it happened.

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - joined by other nations such as Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a significant although primarily ceremonial change in government policy.

Israel was against this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "is off the table."