Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced the final approval of the contentious ‘E1’ settlement project in the West Bank, calling the decision “historic.” Speaking at a press conference, Smotrich stated the move would effectively bisect the West Bank and prevent the establishment of a unified Palestinian state, as reported by the Times of Israel.
The controversial ‘E1’ plan entails the construction of approximately 3,400 housing units between Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement. In a separate development, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz approved a military plan for the conquest of Gaza City and authorized the call-up of some 60,000 reservists, according to a statement from his ministry to the AFP news agency.
The European Union’s External Action Service issued a sharp rebuke, stating, “The decision by the Israeli authorities to advance the E1 settlement plan further jeopardizes the two-state solution and constitutes a violation of international law. The EU urges Israel to reverse this decision,” underscoring its profound implications and the need for measures to safeguard the feasibility of a two-state solution.
Minister Smotrich declared the approval “a significant step that practically erases the illusion of a two-state solution and consolidates the Jewish people’s hold on the heart of the Land of Israel.” He added, “The Palestinian state is being removed from the table not with slogans, but with facts. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”
French President Emmanuel Macron issued a warning on social media platform X, stating, “The military offensive that Israel is preparing in Gaza can only lead to a real disaster for both peoples and will drag the region into a permanent war.” Macron reported holding phone calls with King Abdullah of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, advocating with both Arab states for “an international stabilization mission for Gaza.”
The Israeli organization Peace Now, which campaigns against settlements and for a two-state solution, harshly criticized the approval. It stated the new settlement “seriously threatens the feasibility of a future Palestinian state” and “would lead Israel to become a bi-national state,” with its sole purpose being “to sabotage any political solution for Gaza and the West Bank.”
“Under the pretext of war, Smotrich and his minority of messianic friends are creating an illusory settlement that we will have to abandon in case of an agreement,” the organization asserted, adding that billions of shekels could be spent and wasted on the project’s development. “The entire purpose of the E1 settlement is to sabotage a political solution and rush toward a bi-national apartheid state.”
Peace Now explained that the project would physically separate the northern and southern West Bank, as well as the West Bank from East Jerusalem, preventing the development of a metropolitan area between Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. The approval for construction in the E1 area, adjacent to Ma’ale Adumim, proceeded at a record pace, just two weeks after a hearing on possible objections was held on August 6th. The plan also includes 342 housing units in the Asa’el settlement, which the Israeli government legalized in February 2023.