Israel has given final approval on a controversial settlement project that will divide the occupied West Bank in two, Reuters reported.

Undermining Palestinian Statehood

On Wednesday, Israels far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said that the settlement plan, known as the E1 project, will obstruct efforts to establish an independent Palestinian State.

With E1 we are delivering finally on what has been promised for years. The Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea, he said in a statement.

Smotrich announced the plan last week as a response to the recent wave of countries announcing their intention to recognize a Palestinian State at the UN General Assembly in September.

The recognition of Palestinian Statehood is part of an international push to advance the two-state solution, which envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, living side by side with Israel.

E1 Settlement Project

Plans for settlement in E1, an area east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades but was frozen amid US and European opposition that the project could undermine a future peace deal with the Palestinians.

The E1 project involves the construction of about 3,400 new housing units in Maale Adumin. Israel has built about 160 settlements, housing some 700,000 Jews, since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, according to BBC.

Settlement Expansion

The international law deems settlements illegal. However, successive Israeli governments have allowed settlements to expand, most notably since the return of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to power in late 2022.

Netanyahu has not commented on the E1 approval announcement. But during a visit to a West Bank settlement on Sunday, he said: I said 25 years ago that we will do everything to secure our grip on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to prevent the attempts to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised, we have delivered.

International Condemnation

In response to the announcement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the plan as it will isolate Palestinian communities living in the area and undermines the possibility of a two-state solution.

Similarly, a spokesperson for the German government on Wednesday said that the E1 plan violates international law and hinders a negotiated two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

The E1 settlement project also faced strong opposition from Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, as it will further undermine the two-state solution.

Short link :

Post Views: 64