Israel's security cabinet has voted to recognize the formalization of 19 fresh settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a continued push for community development.
Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the step together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the move was aimed at thwarting the creation of a sovereign Palestine.
According to global statutes, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered unlawful.
The decision has sparked criticism from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion fuels frictions, restricts Palestinians' access to land, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a sovereign Palestine.
Unrest in the occupied West Bank has surged since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, further heightening fears that the growth of communities could solidify Israel's occupation and weaken the chance for a two-state solution.
The two-state solution refers to the formation of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, roughly along the lines that existed prior to the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.
Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the green-lighting of new settlements and initiated the formal recognition for informal settler outposts, designating them as "neighbourhoods" of established settlements.
The most recent decision brings the overall count of communities authorized over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, as stated by Smotrich.
These authorizations are announced only a few days after the United Nations stated that construction in settlements had hit its highest level since 2017.
The latest batch of approvals encompasses the re-establishment of a pair of settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated about two decades ago.
In a previous move, the Israeli government approved twenty-two additional settlements in the territories - labeled as the most significant wave of approvals in decades.
Furthermore, the government gave the go-ahead for projects in August to erect more than 3,000 homes in the so-called E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been stalled for decades amid intense global condemnation.
Regarding that plan, Smotrich stated it would "end the notion of a Palestinian state."
Approximately seven hundred thousand settlers dwell in approximately one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people envision for a prospective independent state.
This ongoing construction has provoked neighboring countries who have repeatedly argued it erodes chances for a two-state solution.
It has also sparked fears about the possible incorporation of the disputed territories.
Ex- US President Donald Trump had previously admonished the Israeli leadership about such a move, telling a publication that Israel would forfeit its backing from the United States if it proceeded.
Recently, the United Kingdom - joined by other nations including Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a major although largely symbolic shift in official stance.
Israel opposed this step, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a sovereign Palestine "will not happen."
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