• Israel has announced plans to establish 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
• This expansion includes the legalization of previously unauthorized outposts.
• International criticism has intensified, with many viewing settlements as illegal under international law.
• Palestinian officials decry the move as a "dangerous escalation" that undermines peace efforts.
• Key allies, including the UK and Jordan, have condemned the decision, citing it as an obstacle to Palestinian statehood.

Israel's government has sanctioned the establishment of 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a decision met with strong international backlash. This expansion includes the legalization of existing outposts built without government consent, further intensifying the existing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Indiatimes and South China Morning Post.

Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the decision bolsters Israel's claim to "Judea and Samaria," the biblical name for the West Bank, framing it as a strategic necessity to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state. According to Katz, this action serves as a "crushing response to Palestinian terrorism," which has drawn accusations of promoting further land domination and violence against Palestinians, as reported by BBC and Los Angeles Times.

The international community view these settlements as illegal, an overarching sentiment echoed by the majority of nations and bodies like the United Nations. The UN Security Council has called repeatedly for a halt to settlement expansion, terming it a major obstacle to peace efforts in the region. The International Court of Justice has ruled against Israeli presence in the occupied territories, a ruling Israel has openly rejected, citing historical claims to the land, noted Reuters and Channel News Asia.

In response to the settlements, Palestinian officials, including spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh, condemned the plan as a dangerous escalation. They claim that this move represents an effort to permanently constrain Palestinian territorial claims, significantly endangering future prospects for statehood. The spokesperson criticized the Israeli government for its relentless approach toward deepening the occupation, as written by CBS News and Al Jazeera.

Allies of Israel, notably the UK and Jordan, have been vocal against the settlement announcements, labelling them as detrimental to peace negotiations and Palestinian sovereignty. British officials have specifically called the expansion a "deliberate obstacle" to the formation of a Palestinian state, sharing similar sentiments with Jordan's condemnation, which labeled the measures as void under international law, according to Le Monde and TRT Global.