Israel's decision to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank is a "dangerous step" aimed at tightening control over Palestinian territory, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The move extends "the policies of apartheid," undermines the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and destroys "any real prospect of stability," the ministry said in a statement on social media. It added that the decision was part of Israel's efforts to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

On Sunday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a pro-settler politician, said Israel's security cabinet had approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, bringing the number of settlements legalized or approved over the past three years to 69.

Smotrich said the decision was part of a broader push to strengthen Jewish settlements across the West Bank and to prevent "the de facto establishment" of a Palestinian state.

Israel has accelerated settlement approvals since the formation of its current right-wing government, which includes parties that oppose Palestinian statehood and support expanding Israeli control over the territory. The approvals have drawn increased international criticism. Most countries regard Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said earlier this month that such moves continue "to fuel tensions, impede access by Palestinians to their land and threaten the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State."

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and has occupied the territories since.