Israel Approves Controversial Settlement Expansion Near East Jerusalem
Israel has officially approved a contentious plan to expand settlements in the E1 area near East Jerusalem, a decision that threatens to obstruct access to the city from the occupied West Bank and significantly undermine the feasibility of a contiguous Palestinian state, reports 24brussels.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a prominent supporter of settlement expansion, confirmed the authorization by Israel’s Civil Administration, asserting that the plan “effectively erases the illusion of a ‘two-state solution’ and reinforces Jewish control over the heart of the Land of Israel.”
Smotrich emphasized, “The Palestinian state is being taken off the table not through slogans, but through concrete actions. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every home is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.” His statements are emblematic of the strong pro-settlement stance of the current Israeli government.
The Civil Administration, which oversees affairs in the West Bank, has greenlit the construction of 3,410 housing units in E1, an area spanning 1,200 hectares that hosts several Palestinian Bedouin communities. The land falls within the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, the third-largest in the occupied West Bank, home to around 40,000 residents and deemed illegal under international law.
The plan will also establish a new road to segregate Palestinian and Israeli traffic, while relocating the military checkpoint controlling access to East Jerusalem—predominantly Palestinian—14 kilometers further east. This shift raises significant concerns regarding the mobility and rights of Palestinian residents.
“This is a deliberate move by Israel to enforce an apartheid regime,” stated Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at the Israeli NGO Ir Amim. “If the international community is serious about peace and a Palestinian state, it must take urgent and effective action to prevent the expulsion of Palestinians from the E1 area.”
For decades, Israel had refrained from advancing the E1 plan, primarily due to substantial international opposition. This expansion is widely viewed as a critical barrier to establishing a viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
However, since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to power in 2022 at the helm of a far-right coalition, his government has approved a record number of new settlements and land appropriations, driven by staunch advocates of settlement expansion.
