• Israel's security cabinet approved 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
• This decision raises the total number of settlements approved in the past three years to 69.
• International responses condemn the expansion as illegal and detrimental to Palestinian statehood.
• Violence in the West Bank has surged amid ongoing settlement approvals.
• The settlements are viewed as a strategy to undermine the two-state solution.

Israel's security cabinet recently approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move driven by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He emphasized that this decision aims to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, further expanding the total approved settlements to 69 over the past three years, as reported by Le Monde and BBC.

The United Nations has condemned these settlement expansions, citing them as illegal under international law and a significant barrier to achieving a viable Palestinian state. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the expansion as "relentless" and expressed concerns that it fuels tensions, restricts Palestinian access to land, and threatens the two-state solution framework, as highlighted in multiple sources including CBS News and Los Angeles Times.

The latest approvals came shortly after the United Nations noted a peak in settlement expansion since 2017, alongside an uptick in violence in the region. Reports indicate that attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have surged, with an average of eight incidents occurring daily during October's olive harvest. This corresponds with the official acknowledgment that the Israeli government's settlement expansion policy has contributed to increased hostility in the region, as seen in the findings from Le Monde, BBC, and CBS News.

Experts emphasize that the re-establishment of two settlements — Ganim and Kadim, which were dismantled two decades ago — represents a significant reversal in policy and could further entrench the Israeli presence in the West Bank. This settlement expansion has drawn ire from various Arab nations, which consistently label such actions as detrimental to establishing a two-state solution, according to Los Angeles Times and BBC.

Critics argue that this decision sets a precedent that undermines international diplomatic efforts aimed at peace and stability in the region. The Israeli military has intensified its operations in the West Bank in response to violence that erupted following the Hamas-led attack in October 2023, escalating the cycle of conflict amid fears surrounding the future of the peace process, as noted by CBS News and Los Angeles Times.