In an effort to stop the establishment of a Palestinian state, Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared that he will accept plans to construct over 3,000 homes in a contentious settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
Due to strong international resistance, the so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement has been on hold for decades.
Constructing there would severely impede the West Bank’s territorial proximity to occupied East Jerusalem and effectively cut it off.
Smotrich stated, “The plan will bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” as reported by Israeli media.
Although Israel contests this, international law views settlements as unlawful.
They rank among Israel’s and the Palestinians’ most acrimonious disputes. According to the Israeli anti-settlement organisation Peace Now, there are about 700,000 Israelis living in 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which is the territory the Palestinians want for their future independent state.
“After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Maale Adumim to Jerusalem,” Smotrich stated.
“This is Zionism at its best – building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel.”
It comes as a growing number of nations have said in recent days that they want to recognise a Palestinian state in the upcoming months, a move that Israel has condemned.
For 20 years, the construction of 3,401 housing units in the E1 area has been halted. Its strategic location, which divides the region south of Jerusalem from those to its north and prevents a contiguous Palestinian metropolitan area connecting Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, has long been viewed as essentially impeding the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israel has stepped up its pressure on Palestinians in the West Bank since Hamas attacked it on October 7, 2023, citing justifiable security concerns.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year issued an advisory judgement supporting the view held by the great majority of the international community that the settlements violate international law.
