🔗 Share this article

Israel's top security body has formally approved the recognition of nineteen additional outposts in the disputed Palestinian territories, signaling a sustained drive for territorial growth.

Hardline Treasury Chief Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a settlement and proposed the measure alongside Defense Chief Israel Katz, asserted that the approval was about thwarting the creation of a sovereign Palestine.

It is important to note that Israeli settlements in the disputed territories are deemed illegal.

The decision has drawn criticism from Saudi Arabia. The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has commented that Israel's "persistent" growth of communities exacerbates tensions, restricts Palestinians' use of territory, and jeopardizes the prospects of a independent Palestine.

Increased Unrest and Political Repercussions

Unrest in the occupied West Bank has increased sharply since the war in the Gaza Strip began in the autumn of 2023, adding to apprehensions that settlement expansion could deepen the Israeli presence and weaken the chance for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution involves the formation of a Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem's eastern sector as its capital, broadly along the borders that were in place before the 1967 Six-Day Middle East war.

Upon assuming leadership in late 2022, the present Israeli government has significantly increased the green-lighting of fresh communities and initiated the formal recognition for informal settler outposts, recognising them as "suburbs" of established settlements.

A Pattern of Growth

The most recent decision brings the cumulative figure of communities approved over the past three years to 69, as stated by Minister Smotrich.

These decisions are announced just days after the United Nations said that construction in settlements had hit its most intense pace since 2017.

The latest round of authorizations encompasses the revival of a pair of settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly 20 years ago.

In a previous move, the Israeli government authorized twenty-two new settlements in the occupied West Bank - what was the most significant wave of approvals in many years.

Furthermore, the government sanctioned projects in August to construct over 3,000 housing units in the so-called E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim community, a project that had been on hold for many years amid strong global condemnation.

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

Demographic Realities and International Reactions

Approximately seven hundred thousand Israeli settlers reside in around one hundred and sixty settlements in the occupied territories, as per data from the Israel-based anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is territory that Palestinians envision for a prospective sovereign nation.

Settlement expansion has provoked neighboring countries who have steadfastly contended it harms chances for a two-state solution.

It has furthermore raised anxieties about the potential annexing of the occupied West Bank.

Ex- American President Donald Trump had previously admonished Israel about such a move, stating to a publication that Israel would forfeit all its support from the US if it happened.

In a policy change, the United Kingdom - along with other nations such as Australia and Canada - recognised a Palestinian state, a significant although primarily ceremonial change in government policy.

Israel strongly rejected this recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that a sovereign Palestine "is not going to occur."