🔗 Share this article

The nation's top security body has voted to recognize the formalization of nineteen additional communities in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a sustained drive for territorial growth.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the measure together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, stated that the decision was intended for blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state.

According to global statutes, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are considered in violation of international law.

The announcement has drawn condemnation from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion exacerbates frictions, restricts Palestinians' access to land, and undermines the prospects of a sovereign Palestine.

Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Repercussions

Clashes in the region has surged since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, intensifying fears that the growth of communities could solidify Israel's occupation and damage the prospects 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 borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Since taking office in late 2022, the present government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the approval of fresh communities and begun the legalisation process for previously illegal outposts, recognising them as "suburbs" of existing communities.

Ongoing Growth

The most recent decision takes the overall count of communities approved over the preceding 36 months to 69, per the figures from Minister Smotrich.

These approvals come a short time after the United Nations stated that settlement expansion had hit its peak since the year 2017.

The latest round of approvals encompasses the revival of a pair of settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled almost 20 years ago.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 additional settlements in the occupied West Bank - labeled as the largest wave of approvals in many years.

In a related development, the government also approved plans in August to erect in excess of 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been stalled for decades amid fierce foreign condemnation.

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

Demographic Realities and Global Reactions

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in approximately one hundred and sixty communities in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians aspire to have for a prospective independent state.

This ongoing construction has drawn ire from Arab states who have repeatedly argued it harms chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked anxieties about the potential formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former US President Donald Trump had once warned Israel about this step, telling TIME magazine that the country would lose its backing from the US if it happened.

Recently, the UK - joined by other nations such as Australia and Canada - recognised a Palestinian state, a major although largely symbolic shift in official stance.

Israel opposed this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "is off the table."