The latest decision, confirmed by Israel’s security cabinet, formalizes 19 new settlements across the occupied West Bank. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who advanced the proposal alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, said the move was intended to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal. Nevertheless, the current Israeli government has intensified settlement approvals since taking office in 2022, including the legalization of previously unauthorized outposts by redefining them as “neighborhoods” of existing settlements.

According to Smotrich, the most recent approvals raise the total number of settlements authorized over the past three years to 69.

Re-Establishing Dismantled Settlements

Among the newly approved sites are Ganim and Kadim, two settlements that were dismantled nearly two decades ago. Their re-establishment signals a reversal of earlier disengagement policies and underscores the government’s long-term strategy to entrench its presence in the territory.

The decision follows a UN assessment released days earlier stating that Israeli settlement expansion has reached its highest level since 2017.

Rising Violence and Regional Fallout

Settlement expansion has unfolded against the backdrop of escalating violence in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. The deterioration in security has intensified fears that expanding settlements will further entrench Israel’s occupation and undermine prospects for peace.

Saudi Arabia condemned the latest move, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Israel’s “relentless” settlement growth fuels tensions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and threatens the possibility of a viable, sovereign Palestinian state.

Impact on the Two-State Solution

The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along pre-1967 lines. Palestinians regard the territories where settlements are expanding as the core of their future state.

In May, Israel approved 22 new settlements — the largest expansion in decades — and in August greenlit plans for more than 3,000 housing units in the long-frozen E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement. Smotrich described that project as one that would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”

UK Condemns New West Bank Settlements

The United Kingdom condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the move is illegal under international law and undermines prospects for peace. British Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution and risks derailing diplomatic efforts aimed at long-term security and stability in the region.