🔗 Share this article

Israel's top security body has voted to recognize the recognition of nineteen new outposts in the disputed West Bank, signaling a sustained drive for territorial growth.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who advocated for the move together with Defence Minister Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was aimed at blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are deemed illegal.

The announcement has elicited criticism from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously stated that Israel's "unceasing" settlement expansion fuels tensions, curtails Palestinian access to land, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Increased Unrest and Political Fallout

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the conflict in the Gaza Strip began in the autumn of 2023, further heightening concerns that the growth of communities could solidify Israel's occupation and damage the possibility for a peaceful resolution based on two states.

The concept of two states envisions the formation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its seat of government, broadly along the lines that were in place before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Upon assuming leadership in 2022, the incumbent government in Jerusalem has greatly accelerated the green-lighting of fresh communities and started the formal recognition for informal settler outposts, designating them as "neighbourhoods" of existing communities.

Sustained Growth

The most recent approval brings the overall count of communities approved over the past three years to sixty-nine, according to the Finance Minister.

These decisions are announced a short time after the United Nations reported that construction in settlements had reached its peak since the year 2017.

The most recent round of approvals includes the rebuilding of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were evacuated about in 2005.

Previously, the Israeli government gave the nod to 22 new communities in the territories - what was the biggest wave of approvals in many years.

Additionally, the government gave the go-ahead for blueprints in August to construct in excess of 3,000 residences in the so-called E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a plan that had been stalled for decades amid strong international objection.

At that time, Smotrich said it would "bury the concept of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Realities and Global Reactions

Roughly 700,000 settlers dwell in around one hundred and sixty communities in the occupied territories, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians seek for a prospective independent state.

This ongoing construction has angered Arab nations who have repeatedly contended it undermines chances for a peaceful two-state outcome.

It has furthermore sparked anxieties about the possible annexing of the disputed territories.

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

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - together with other countries including Australia and Canada - recognised a Palestinian state, a notable although primarily ceremonial shift in government policy.

The Israeli government was against the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "will not happen."