🔗 Share this article

Israel's top security body has formally approved the recognition of nineteen new communities in the disputed West Bank, marking a continued push for community development.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the move alongside Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the decision was aimed at blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.

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

The announcement has elicited condemnation from Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "relentless" settlement expansion heightens frictions, restricts Palestinians' access to territory, and jeopardizes the feasibility of a independent Palestine.

Increased Tensions and Political Fallout

Unrest 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 Israel's occupation and undermine the chance for a two-state solution.

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

Since taking office in late 2022, the current government in Jerusalem has significantly increased the authorization of fresh communities and begun the process of legalization for unauthorised outposts, designating them as "extensions" of established communities.

A Pattern of Growth

The most recent decision brings the cumulative figure of communities recognized over the past three years to sixty-nine, according to Minister Smotrich.

These authorizations come just days after the United Nations said that construction in settlements had hit its peak since 2017.

The newest round of authorizations features the re-establishment of a pair of communities — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled almost 20 years ago.

Previously, Israel authorized 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank - labeled as the most significant wave of approvals in decades.

In a related development, the Israeli government also approved blueprints last summer to erect over 3,000 homes in the controversial E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that had been frozen for decades amid fierce foreign objection.

On that occasion, Smotrich said it would "end the idea of a Palestinian state."

Demographic Facts and Global Response

An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers live in approximately 160 communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is land that Palestinians aspire to have for a future sovereign nation.

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

It has furthermore fueled concerns about the potential formal annexation of the disputed territories.

Former American President Donald Trump had previously admonished Israel about such a move, stating to a publication that Israel would forfeit its backing from the United States if it happened.

In a diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom - together with other nations such as Australia and Canada - acknowledged a State of Palestine, a significant although largely symbolic shift in foreign policy.

The Israeli government strongly rejected this step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that a sovereign Palestine "is not going to occur."