Israel Approves 19 New West Bank Settlements in Push to Block Palestinian Statehood

Israel's security cabinet has officially recognized 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, escalating its expansion policy in territory Palestinians seek for a future state. A key minister behind the move stated its explicit purpose was to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The decision, proposed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz, marks a significant step in the current government's push to entrench its presence in the territory. "The plan would 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state'," Smotrich, himself a West Bank settler, said in a statement. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.

According to Smotrich, this latest approval brings the total number of settlements authorized over the past three years to 69. The announcement comes just days after the United Nations reported that settlement expansion had reached its highest level since 2017. Notably, the approvals include the re-establishment of two settlements, Ganim and Kadim, which were dismantled nearly two decades ago.

The international community has widely condemned the expansion. Saudi Arabia denounced the latest move, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously warned that Israel's "relentless" settlement growth fuels tensions and threatens the viability of a sovereign Palestinian state. The policy has become a major flashpoint, especially as violence in the West Bank has surged since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

This expansion is seen by many as a direct challenge to the two-state solution—the long-standing framework for peace that envisions an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip alongside Israel. According to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, about 700,000 settlers currently live in approximately 160 settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The move further isolates Israel on the world stage, following the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by countries including the UK, Australia, and Canada in September. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, remains defiant, stating that a Palestinian state "will not happen."