Israel’s security cabinet has approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government continues its settlement expansion efforts.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz, said the move was aimed at blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
Saudi Arabia condemned the decision. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the “relentless” expansion of Israeli settlements is fueling tensions, restricting Palestinian access to land and threatening the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has increased since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, further heightening fears that settlement expansion could strengthen Israeli 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, along the lines that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Since taking office in 2022, the current Israeli government has significantly increased approval of new settlements and has begun the process of legalizing unauthorized outposts, recognizing them as “neighborhoods” of existing settlements.
The most recent decision brings the total number of regulations approved over the past three years to 69, according to Smotrich.
The approvals come just days after the United Nations said settlement expansion had reached its highest level since 2017.
The latest approvals include the reestablishment of two settlements – Ganim and Kadim – which were dismantled almost 20 years ago.
In May, Israel approved 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank – 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, which had been frozen for decades due to fierce international opposition.
Smotrich said at the time that the plan would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”
About 700,000 settlers live in around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. This is the land the Palestinians seek for a future independent state.
Settlement expansion has angered Arab countries who have consistently said it undermines prospects for a two-state solution.
He also expressed concerns about possible annexation of the occupied West Bank.
US President Donald Trump had warned Israel against such a move, telling TIME magazine that Israel would lose all support from the United States if it happened.
In September, the United Kingdom – along with other countries including Australia and Canada – recognized a Palestinian state, a significant if symbolic shift in government policy.
Israel opposed the move, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying a Palestinian state “is not going to happen.”
