In a move pushed by far-right Israeli ministers, the security cabinet approved 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, bringing the total to 69 approved since 2022. The expansion is explicitly intended to block the establishment of a Palestinian state and includes the re-establishment of two settlements dismantled nearly 20 years ago. This policy has provoked international condemnation, including from the UN and Arab states, and comes amid surging violence in the West Bank, raising fears that Israel's occupation is becoming more entrenched and that prospects for a two-state solution are diminishing. The decision also follows recent approvals of thousands of new housing units and legal recognition of unauthorized outposts, signaling a sustained shift in Israeli settlement policy.