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Israel's security cabinet has given its endorsement to the establishment of 19 fresh settlements in the contested Palestinian territories, marking a continued campaign for settlement expansion.

Far-right Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the measure in concert with Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the decision was about preventing the creation of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Jewish communities in the disputed territories are considered illegal.

The move has drawn censure from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said that Israel's "relentless" growth of communities fuels tensions, curtails Palestinians' use of territory, and threatens the prospects of a sovereign Palestine.

Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Fallout

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, intensifying fears that the growth of communities could entrench Israel's occupation and weaken the possibility for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution envisions the creation of a State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its seat of government, largely along the lines that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the present Israeli government has significantly increased the authorization of fresh communities and initiated the formal recognition for unauthorised settler outposts, classifying them as "suburbs" of existing communities.

Ongoing Expansion

The latest approval pushes the cumulative figure of settlements approved over the last three years to 69, per the figures from Smotrich.

These approvals come only a few days after the UN reported that construction in settlements had hit its highest level since 2017.

The latest batch of approvals includes the revival of two communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about in 2005.

In a previous move, the Israeli government approved twenty-two new settlements in the territories - labeled as the biggest wave of approvals in decades.

Additionally, the Israeli government gave the go-ahead for projects last summer to build over 3,000 residences in the so-called E1 corridor between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been on hold for many years amid intense foreign objection.

At that time, the Finance Minister remarked it would "put to rest the idea of a Palestinian state."

Population Realities and International Response

An estimated seven hundred thousand settlers live in about 160 settlements in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people seek for a prospective independent state.

Settlement expansion has provoked Arab states who have consistently contended it harms hopes for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has also fueled concerns about the possible formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former American President Donald Trump had previously admonished the Israeli leadership about such a move, telling a publication that Israel would lose all its support from the US if it occurred.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - along with other nations such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a major although primarily ceremonial adjustment in foreign policy.

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