Israel's security cabinet has approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government continues its settlement expansion push.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, stated that the decision was aimed at blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
Saudi Arabia condemned the move. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has noted that Israel's relentless settlement expansion fuels tensions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and threatens the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, further raising fears that settlement expansion could entrench Israel's occupation and undermine a two-state solution.
The two-state solution is envisioned as the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along the lines that existed prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has significantly increased the approval of new settlements and has started the legalisation process for unauthorized outposts, recognizing them as neighbourhoods of existing settlements.
This latest decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to Smotrich.
The approvals follow recent reports from the United Nations indicating that settlement expansion has reached its highest level since 2017.
Among the settlements approved are the re-establishment of Ganim and Kadim, which were dismantled nearly 20 years ago.
In May, Israel had already approved 22 new settlements—the largest expansion in decades.
The Israeli government also approved plans in August to build more than 3,000 homes in the so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a heavily contested area that had been frozen for decades amid intense international opposition.
Smotrich stated that this plan would effectively bury the idea of a Palestinian state.
Approximately 700,000 settlers currently reside in around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. Palestinians seek this land for a future independent state.
Settlement expansion continues to provoke anger from Arab nations, undermining hopes for a two-state solution and raising concerns about the potential annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Amid these tensions, the international community remains alert, with some countries, including the UK, recently recognizing a Palestinian state as a major policy shift.
