🔗 Share this article

Israel's defense cabinet has given its endorsement to the recognition of 19 new communities in the occupied Palestinian territories, signaling a sustained drive for territorial growth.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the move together with Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was intended for preventing the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

According to global statutes, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed unlawful.

The decision has elicited condemnation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities fuels frictions, restricts Palestinians' access to land, and jeopardizes the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Increased Unrest and Diplomatic Repercussions

Unrest in the region has increased sharply since the hostilities in Gaza started in the autumn of 2023, further heightening concerns that the growth of communities could solidify Israel's occupation and undermine the chance for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states envisions the establishment of a State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the boundaries that were in place prior to the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the authorization of new settlements and initiated the process of legalization for previously illegal settler outposts, recognising them as "neighbourhoods" of established communities.

Ongoing Growth

The latest decision pushes the overall count of settlements approved over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, as stated by Smotrich.

These authorizations are announced just days after the UN reported that settlement expansion had reached its highest level since 2017.

The most recent group of approvals includes the revival of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed almost in 2005.

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

In a related development, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for projects last summer to construct over three thousand housing units in the controversial E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim community, a plan that had been on hold for decades amid fierce foreign objection.

On that occasion, Smotrich stated it would "end the notion of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and Global Response

Approximately seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers reside in about 160 communities in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that the Palestinian people envision for a future sovereign nation.

This ongoing construction has drawn ire from Arab nations who have consistently argued it undermines chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked concerns about the possible incorporation of the occupied West Bank.

Former US President Donald Trump had once 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 diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - together with other countries such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a major although largely symbolic adjustment in official stance.

Israel strongly rejected this step, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a sovereign Palestine "is off the table."