Shotlist FILE: West Bank - Sept 21-26, 2025: 1. Various of Israeli settlements; West Bank wall 2. Various of traffic; pedestrians; stores along street FILE: Tel Aviv, Israel - June 2021: 3. Various of national flags of Israel FILE: Tel Aviv, Israel - April 7-8, 2019: 4. Various of buildings, traffic Storyline Israel's security cabinet has approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, bringing the number of settlements legalized or approved over the past three years to 69, an official said on Sunday. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a pro-settler politician, said in a statement that Israel's security cabinet approved the proposal that he "advanced together with Defense Minister Israel Katz to declare and authorize 19 new settlements," without specifying when the approval was granted. The approvals cover both entirely new settlements and the retroactive authorization of settlements built without permits from Israeli authorities. Smotrich said the step is part of a broader effort to strengthen Jewish settlement across the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians seek as the core of a future independent state. He said the move is preventing "the de facto establishment" of a Palestinian state. "We will continue to develop, build and settle the land of our ancestral inheritance," he said. The approval comes amid heightened international criticism of Israeli settlement activity, which most countries regard as illegal under international law. Israel has accelerated settlement approvals since the formation of the current right-wing government, which includes parties that strongly oppose Palestinian statehood and advocate expanding Israeli control over the territory. Palestinian officials have warned that continued settlement expansion undermines prospects for a two-state solution and fuels tensions on the ground, while Western allies have repeatedly urged Israel to halt such moves. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]