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 aims to block 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 stated 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, raising fears that settlement expansion could further entrench Israel's occupation and undermine a two-state solution.
The two-state solution refers to 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 begun the legalisation process for unauthorised outposts, recognising them as neighbourhoods of existing settlements.
The recent decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to Smotrich.
The approvals come just days after the United Nations indicated that settlement expansion had reached its highest level since 2017.
The latest approvals include the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim — which were dismantled nearly 20 years ago.
In May, Israel approved 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, marking the largest expansion in decades.
The Israeli government approved plans in August to build more than 3,000 homes in the so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, which had been frozen for decades amid significant international opposition.
Smotrich had remarked that the plan would bury the idea of a Palestinian state.
Approximately 700,000 settlers live in around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This area is sought by Palestinians for a future independent state.
Settlement expansion has angered Arab nations, who argue it undermines prospects for a two-state solution and raises concerns about the potential annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Former US President Donald Trump cautioned Israel against such moves, suggesting that it would lose American support if annexation occurred.
In September, the UK, alongside other countries, recognised a Palestinian state, marking a significant but symbolic shift in government policy.
Israel opposed this recognition, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that a Palestinian state will not happen.
