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The nation's top security body has formally approved the establishment of nineteen new outposts in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a continued push for territorial growth.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move alongside Defense Chief Israel Katz, declared that the approval was intended for preventing the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are viewed as unlawful.

The decision has sparked criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion heightens tensions, restricts Palestinians' access to land, and threatens the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Escalating Unrest and Political Fallout

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the hostilities in the Gaza Strip began in the autumn of 2023, adding to apprehensions that the growth of communities could solidify Israel's occupation and damage the possibility for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states involves the establishment of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, largely along the lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has ramped up the authorization of fresh communities and started the legalisation process for previously illegal outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of established settlements.

Sustained Growth

The latest decision takes the overall count of communities approved over the past three years to 69, as stated by the Finance Minister.

These decisions arrive a short time after the United Nations said that settlement expansion had reached its most intense pace since the year 2017.

The latest round of approvals encompasses the re-establishment of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about 20 years ago.

Previously, Israel authorized 22 additional settlements in the territories - labeled as the largest wave of approvals in decades.

In a related development, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for plans last summer to build in excess of 3,000 homes in the controversial E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a plan that had been stalled for decades amid fierce foreign objection.

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

Demographic Facts and Global Reactions

An estimated seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers live in around one hundred and sixty communities in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians aspire to have for a prospective independent state.

This ongoing construction has angered Arab nations who have steadfastly contended it harms hopes for a two-state solution.

It has also fueled fears about the eventual incorporation of the occupied West Bank.

Former US President Donald Trump had once cautioned the Israeli leadership about this step, telling TIME magazine that the country would forfeit all its support from the United States if it occurred.

In a policy change, the UK - along with other countries such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a significant although largely symbolic shift in official stance.

The Israeli government was against the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a sovereign Palestine "is off the table."