🔗 Share this article

Israel's defense cabinet has given its endorsement to the establishment of nineteen new communities in the disputed Palestinian territories, signaling a continued campaign for settlement expansion.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the step alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, stated that the decision was about blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are considered in violation of international law.

The announcement has sparked censure from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion fuels frictions, curtails Palestinian use of land, and jeopardizes the prospects of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Increased Tensions and Political Fallout

Violence in the region has increased sharply since the war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023, intensifying apprehensions that the growth of communities could deepen Israel's occupation and damage the chance for a two-state solution.

The concept of two states involves the formation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, largely along the borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the present Israeli government has ramped up the approval of new settlements and begun the legalisation process for previously illegal settler outposts, designating them as "suburbs" of established settlements.

Sustained Growth

The most recent decision brings the cumulative figure of communities recognized over the preceding 36 months to sixty-nine, according to the Finance Minister.

These authorizations are announced a short time after the UN said that construction in settlements had attained its highest level since the year 2017.

The newest group of authorizations encompasses the rebuilding of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated almost in 2005.

Previously, the Israeli government gave the nod to twenty-two additional settlements in the territories - described as the most significant expansion in many years.

Additionally, the Israeli government sanctioned projects last summer to build over three thousand housing units in the so-called E1 area between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a plan that had been stalled for many years amid intense foreign condemnation.

Regarding that plan, the Finance Minister said it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and Global Response

An estimated 700,000 settlers live in around one hundred and sixty 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 independent state.

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

It has also raised anxieties about the eventual annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- American President Donald Trump had previously warned Israel about such a move, telling TIME magazine that Israel would lose all its support from the US if it happened.

Recently, the United Kingdom - along with other countries such as Australia and Canada - formally recognized a Palestinian state, a notable although largely symbolic shift in government policy.

The Israeli government was against the move, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu saying that a Palestinian state "is not going to occur."