🔗 Share this article

The nation's security cabinet has formally approved the establishment of nineteen additional settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories, signaling a sustained drive for settlement expansion.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the move together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, stated that the approval was intended for thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

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

The decision has drawn censure from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities exacerbates tensions, restricts Palestinian access to territory, and undermines the feasibility of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Increased Unrest and Political Fallout

Clashes in the occupied West Bank has surged since the hostilities in the Gaza Strip erupted in the autumn of 2023, adding to apprehensions that settlement expansion could deepen the Israeli presence and undermine the chance for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution envisions the creation of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its capital, largely along the boundaries that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the present Israeli government has significantly increased the approval of new settlements and initiated the legalisation process for previously illegal settler outposts, recognising them as "extensions" of established communities.

A Pattern of Growth

The latest approval takes the total number of settlements authorized over the preceding 36 months to 69, per the figures from the Finance Minister.

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

The most recent group of approvals features the rebuilding of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated nearly 20 years ago.

Previously, Israel approved 22 new settlements in the territories - labeled as the biggest wave of approvals in decades.

In a related development, the Israeli government sanctioned blueprints last summer to build in excess of three thousand housing units in the so-called E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a initiative that had been frozen for decades amid intense international condemnation.

Regarding that plan, the Finance Minister remarked it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and Global Reactions

Roughly 700,000 settlers dwell in approximately one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people envision for a future sovereign nation.

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

It has also raised fears about the possible incorporation of the disputed territories.

Former American President Donald Trump had previously cautioned the Israeli leadership about annexation, telling TIME magazine that the country would lose all its support from the US if it occurred.

In a diplomatic shift, the UK - along with other nations such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a significant although primarily ceremonial shift in official stance.

The Israeli government opposed this recognition, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "is off the table."