Israel is poised to grant formal approval for the E1 settlement project, which aims to construct over 3,400 new homes. Critics argue this plan will split the occupied West Bank, isolating east Jerusalem from the rest of the territory. Supported by Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, the plan has faced international condemnation. Smotrich claims that the project's success would eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state. The actual support from Prime Minister Netanyahu and the U.S. administration remains unclear as the decision approaches.
The so-called E1 plan would extend the existing Jewish settlement of Ma'ale Adumim towards Jerusalem, further cutting occupied east Jerusalem from the West Bank.
Smotrich, who backs both the plan and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty through the occupied West Bank, gloated that he believed construction on E1 would bury the idea of a Palestinian state.
Collection
[
|
...
]