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Israel's top security body has given its endorsement to the establishment of nineteen new communities in the contested Palestinian territories, representing a continued push for settlement expansion.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who put forward the step in concert with Defence Minister Israel Katz, stated that the move was intended for blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the disputed territories are viewed as in violation of international law.

The announcement has elicited condemnation from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion fuels frictions, restricts Palestinians' access to territory, and undermines the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Rising Tensions and Political Repercussions

Clashes in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, adding to fears that the growth of communities could entrench the Israeli presence and damage the possibility for a two-state solution.

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

Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has ramped up the authorization of fresh communities and initiated the legalisation process for unauthorised outposts, designating them as "neighbourhoods" of existing settlements.

Ongoing Expansion

The most recent decision takes the overall count of communities approved over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, per the figures from Smotrich.

These authorizations arrive only a few days after the UN reported that settlement expansion had hit its most intense pace since the year 2017.

The most recent group of authorizations includes the rebuilding of a pair of settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated almost in 2005.

Previously, the Israeli government gave the nod to twenty-two additional communities in the territories - what was the most significant wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for blueprints last summer to build over 3,000 homes in the controversial E1 area between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a initiative that had been frozen for decades amid fierce international opposition.

At that time, the Finance Minister said it would "put to rest the concept of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and International Reactions

Roughly 700,000 Israeli settlers live in about one hundred and sixty communities in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people seek for a future independent state.

Settlement expansion has angered neighboring countries who have consistently contended it undermines hopes for a two-state solution.

It has also fueled fears about the possible formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former US President Donald Trump had previously admonished Israel about such a move, stating to TIME magazine that the country would lose all its support from the United States if it happened.

Recently, the UK - along with other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a notable although primarily ceremonial shift in foreign policy.

Israel was against this step, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."