Wetin be Israel controversial E1 settlement plan, wey threaten to 'bury di idea of Palestinian state'?

BBC News

2 days ago

Plans for a controversial settlement project wey Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich say go "bury di idea of a Palestinian state" don spark widespread criticism.
Di so-called E1 scheme to build 3,401 homes in di occupied West Bank - between East Jerusalem and di Maale Adumim settlement - don dey frozen for decades amid fierce opposition.
Di vast majority of di international community consider di settlements illegal under international law, although Israel dispute dis.
On Wednesday, Smotrich bin back di scheme, call di decision a "historic achievement".
Di Palestinian foreign ministry don call di plan "an extension of crimes of genocide, displacement and annexation" - accusations Israel long don reject.
Di UN, the EU and various kontries, such as di UK and Turkey, don also criticise di E1 settlement plan and called for am to dey stopped.
Wetin be di E1 settlement plan?
Settlements na one of di most contentious issues between Israel and di Palestinians.
Di E1 settlement project, first dey proposed under Yitzhak Rabin in di 1990s, begin wit initial plans for 2,500 homes.
In 2004 e bin dey expanded to around 4,000 units along wit commercial and tourism facilities.
Between 2009 and 2020 new phases dey announced, including land confiscations, design plans and road construction.
But di proposals dey frozen each time due to international pressure.
Why e dey so controversial?
Developing di E1 area long don dey seen as effectively blocking di establishment of a Palestinian state.
Dat na sake of say di E1 site strategic position: e separate areas south of Jerusalem from those to im north and go prevent a contiguous Palestinian urban area wey connect Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
According to di Israeli group Peace Now, wey dey monitor settlement activity in di West Bank, di new housing units go represent a 33% increase in di size of di Maale Adumim settlement, wey currently get population of around 38,000 residents.
Di project go connect di residential area to surrounding industrial zones and go pave di way for expanding Israeli control over large parts of di West Bank, according to Peace Now.
Di group tok say di final approval hearing for di E1 settlement plan go hold next Wednesday by a technical committee wey don already reject all objections to di proposals.
Wetin be di occupied West Bank?
Di West Bank na di land between Israel and di River Jordan and na home to an estimated three million Palestinians.
Along wit East Jerusalem and Gaza, e be part of wetin dey widely known as di Occupied Palestinian Territories.
E get about 160 Israeli settlements, housing about 700,000 Jews, in di West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Di Palestinians don always oppose Israel presence in dis areas. Israel still get overall control of di West Bank, but since di 1990s, a Palestinian govment - known as di Palestinian Authority - don run most of im towns and cities.
Since Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel pressure on West Bank Palestinians don increase sharply, wey justify as legitimate security measures.
In June, di UN recorded di highest monthly injury toll of Palestinians in over two decades - state say 100 Palestinians don dey injured by Israeli settlers.
During di first half of 2025, e bin record 757 settler attacks wey bin result in Palestinian casualties or property damage – a 13% increase on di same period in 2024.
Palestinians and human rights groups also accuse di Israeli security forces say dem fail for dia legal duty as occupiers to protect Palestinians as well as dia own citizens - not just turning a blind eye to settler attacks, but even join in, according to a 2024 report from Human Rights Watch.
Israel claims say di Geneva Conventions wey forbid settlement for occupied territories no apply - a view disputed by many of im own allies as well as international lawyers.
Palestinians want all Israeli settlements to dey removed as dey see di occupied West Bank as land for a future independent Palestinian state.
However, di Israeli govment no recognise di right of di Palestinians to have dia own state and argue say di West Bank na part of di Israeli homeland.
In July 2024, di top court of di UN, di International Court of Justice (ICJ), tok say Israel kontinu presence in di Occupied Palestinian Territories dey illegal and Israel should withdraw di settlers.
Among im oda far-reaching conclusions, di court tok say Israeli restrictions on Palestinians in di occupied territories constitute "systemic discrimination based on, inter alia, race, religion or ethnic origin".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say court don make a "decision of lies".
"Di Jewish pipo no be occupiers in dia own land - not in our eternal capital Jerusalem, nor in our ancestral heritage of Judea and Samaria [di West Bank]", Mr Netanyahu tok for statement.
How di world don react to di E1 plan?
Following im announcement on di plan, Smotrich bin thank US President Donald Trump and Ambassador Mike Huckabee for dia support, affirm say, in im view, di West Bank na "one inseparable part of di Land of Israel promised by God".
E also tok say di Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu support im plans to bring one million new settlers into di West Bank.
Di Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned di E1 project, call am an attack on di unity of Palestinian territory and a blow to di possibility to establish a state.
Tok na say di plan undermine geographic and demographic cohesion and entrenches di division of di West Bank into isolated areas wey dey surrounded by colonial expansion, making annexation easier.
In response to di plans to build in di E1 area, di US State Department tok say "a stable West Bank keep Israel secure and dey in line wit dis administration goal to achieve peace in di region".
However, di UN and di EU don instead urge Israel not to progress di plan.
Di UN tok say construction in di E1 area go sever di northern and southern West Bank, "severely undermine di prospects for di realization of a viable, contiguous Palestinian State".
Kaja Kallas, di EU foreign policy chief, tok say di E1 new settlement plan "further undermine di two-state solution while e be breach of international law".
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy bin oppose di plans, say dey go "divide a future Palestinian state in two and mark a flagrant breach of international law".
Turkey foreign ministry also condemn di decision, say e "disregards international law" and targets di "territorial integrity" of di state of Palestine.
Egypt bin call di project a "flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolutions."
Di Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also oppose di scheme, describe am as assault on di "inalienable right of di Palestinian pipo to establish an independent and sovereign state based on di 4 June 1967 borders, wit East Jerusalem as im capital".
Di E1 announcement come shortly afta various kontries, such as France and Canada, say dey plan to recognise one Palestinian state later dis year.
Currently most kontries - 147 of di UN 193 member states - formally recognise a Palestinian state.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer say di UK go also recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel meet certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and revive di prospect of a two-state solution.
Following di announcement of di E1 new settlement plan, Smotrich tok say go be "no state to recognise".
"Whoever in di world dey try to recognise a Palestinian state today go receive our answer on di ground. No be wit documents nor wit decisions or statements, but wit facts. Facts of houses, facts of neighbourhoods," e add.
Additional reporting by Alla Daraghme and Muhannad Tutanji from BBC News Arabic.