🔗 Share this article

Israel's security cabinet has given its endorsement to the formalization of nineteen additional outposts in the disputed West Bank, representing a ongoing push for settlement expansion.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the measure in concert with Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the decision was about thwarting the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

According to global statutes, Jewish communities in the disputed territories are viewed as illegal.

The announcement has drawn criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion exacerbates frictions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and threatens the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Increased Unrest and Political Repercussions

Unrest in the region has increased sharply since the war in Gaza started in October 2023, further heightening concerns that the growth of communities could deepen Israel's occupation and damage the possibility for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states refers to the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, largely along the boundaries that were in place prior to the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has ramped up the green-lighting of fresh communities and begun the process of legalization for previously illegal outposts, designating them as "extensions" of existing settlements.

A Pattern of Growth

The most recent approval takes the total number of settlements authorized over the last three years to 69, as stated by Smotrich.

These approvals arrive just days after the UN stated that construction in settlements had attained its peak since 2017.

The latest round of approvals includes the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed nearly in 2005.

Previously, Israel gave the nod to 22 new settlements in the territories - described as the most significant expansion in many years.

Additionally, the government gave the go-ahead for plans last summer to build in excess of three thousand homes in the controversial E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been stalled for many years amid intense international opposition.

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

Population Facts and Global Reactions

Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in about 160 communities in the occupied territories, according to the Israel-based monitoring organization Peace Now. This is territory that the Palestinian people envision for a prospective independent state.

This ongoing construction has angered neighboring countries who have steadfastly said it harms prospects for a two-state solution.

It has furthermore sparked fears about the potential annexing of the occupied West Bank.

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

Recently, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - acknowledged a Palestinian state, a notable although primarily ceremonial change in foreign policy.

Israel was against the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "will not happen."