Israel has approved 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, raising the total number of new settlements to a record 69 in recent years, according to Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich. These settlements, deemed illegal under international law, are criticized for fragmenting land for a future Palestinian state. The recent approvals also retroactively authorize some previously established outposts and settlements on land evacuated by Palestinians. Over 500,000 Jews currently reside in the West Bank, alongside more than 200,000 in contested East Jerusalem.
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