"TEL AVIV, Israel Israel gave final approval Wednesday for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state. Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations."
"The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, cast the approval as a rebuke to Western countries that announced their plans to recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks. "The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions," he said on Wednesday."
Israel gave final approval for settlement construction in E1, an open tract east of Jerusalem, that would effectively cut the West Bank in two and jeopardize prospects for a Palestinian state. E1 development was considered for decades but was previously frozen under U.S. pressure. The international community views West Bank settlement construction as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich portrayed the approval as a rebuke to Western recognition plans, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects a Palestinian state and vows continued control over occupied territories. Settler violence, evictions, military operations, and movement restrictions have intensified alongside settlement growth.
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