🔗 Share this article

Israel's top security body has given its endorsement to the recognition of nineteen new outposts in the occupied West Bank, representing a continued drive for territorial growth.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and advocated for the step in concert with Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the move was aimed at blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state.

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

The move has elicited criticism from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "persistent" settlement expansion fuels frictions, restricts Palestinian access to territory, and threatens the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Increased Unrest and Political Repercussions

Violence in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the war in the Gaza Strip erupted in the autumn of 2023, intensifying fears that settlement expansion could solidify the Israeli presence and damage the chance for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The two-state solution involves the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, roughly along the borders that were in place prior to the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the incumbent Israeli government has ramped up the authorization of fresh communities and started the process of legalization for informal outposts, recognising them as "suburbs" of established communities.

A Pattern of Expansion

The most recent approval takes the total number of settlements recognized over the preceding 36 months to 69, according to the Finance Minister.

These approvals arrive a short time after the UN reported that construction in settlements had hit its highest level since 2017.

The most recent group of approvals encompasses the re-establishment of a pair of settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were removed about 20 years ago.

In a previous move, Israel authorized 22 additional communities in the territories - described as the most significant expansion in many years.

Furthermore, the Israeli government sanctioned projects last summer to build over three thousand residences in the controversial E1 area between the capital and the Maale Adumim settlement, a initiative that had been frozen for many years amid strong international objection.

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

Population Realities and Global Reactions

Roughly 700,000 Israeli settlers dwell in about one hundred and sixty communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians envision for a future independent state.

Settlement expansion has angered neighboring countries who have steadfastly argued it undermines hopes for a two-state solution.

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

Ex- American President Donald Trump had previously warned Israel about such a move, telling a publication that the country would forfeit its backing from the US if it happened.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - together with other nations including Australia and Canada - recognised a State of Palestine, a notable although largely symbolic change in official stance.

Israel opposed this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."