🔗 Share this article

Israel's security cabinet has formally approved the establishment of 19 additional settlements in the contested West Bank, signaling a ongoing push for settlement expansion.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the step alongside Defence Minister 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 announcement has drawn criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion fuels tensions, curtails Palestinians' use of territory, and undermines the prospects of a sovereign Palestine.

Rising Tensions and Political Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has surged since the hostilities in Gaza began in the autumn of 2023, further heightening concerns that the growth of communities could solidify the Israeli presence and undermine the chance for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution refers to the formation of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, broadly along the borders that were in place prior to the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Since taking office in 2022, the incumbent Israeli government has significantly increased the authorization of new settlements and initiated the process of legalization for informal outposts, recognising them as "suburbs" of existing communities.

Sustained Growth

The most recent approval brings the cumulative figure of settlements authorized over the past three years to 69, per the figures from the Finance Minister.

These authorizations come just days after the United Nations stated that settlement expansion had reached its highest level since 2017.

The most recent group of authorizations includes the rebuilding of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated almost 20 years ago.

In a previous move, the Israeli government authorized twenty-two new settlements in the occupied West Bank - what was the biggest expansion in decades.

Furthermore, the government also approved projects in August to construct in excess of three thousand homes in the controversial E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that had been on hold for decades amid intense global objection.

On that occasion, the Finance Minister said it would "end the notion of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Realities and International Response

Roughly 700,000 Israeli settlers live in approximately one hundred and sixty 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 prospective independent state.

This ongoing construction has provoked neighboring countries who have steadfastly contended it harms chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore raised concerns about the potential formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former US President Donald Trump had previously warned the Israeli leadership about such a move, stating to TIME magazine that Israel would lose all its support from the US if it proceeded.

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a Palestinian state, a significant although largely symbolic adjustment in foreign policy.

Israel was against this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "will not happen."