Israel announces plans for new West Bank settlement to 'bury' idea of Palestinian state
Palestinians and rights groups said the settlement would effectively cut the West Bank into two separate parts and rob them of any chance to build a Palestinian state.
This comes as several countries, including the UK, said they would recognise a Palestinian state in September, unless Israel meets several conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
"This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise," finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said as he announced the construction plans.
"Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state will receive an answer from us on the ground."
The settlement is planned to be built in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, and includes around 3,500 apartments to expand the existing settlement of Maale Adumim, Mr Smotrich said.
E1 has been eyed for Israeli development for more than two decades, but plans were halted due to pressure from the US during previous administrations.
Now-US President Donald Trump and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, were praised on Thursday by Mr Smotrich as "true friends of Israel as we have never had before".
Mr Smotrich, himself a Jewish settler, told Sky News' international correspondent Diana Magnay that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 scheme. There was no confirmation of this claim from either leader.
The E1 plan has not yet received its final approval, which is expected next week.
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Construction of homes 'within a year'
Peace Now, which tracks settlement activity in the West Bank, said some bureaucratic steps remain before construction could begin, including the approval of Israel's high planning council.
But if the process moves quickly, infrastructure work could start in the next few months, with the construction of homes to follow in about a year.
"The E1 plan is deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing at the edge of an abyss, and the government is driving us forward at full speed," Peace Now said in a statement.
It added that the plan was "guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed".
Mr Smotrich was also criticised by an Israeli rights group established by former Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers, who accused the far-right politician of encouraging West Bank settlement activity while the world's attention was on the Gaza war.
As well as official, government-approved settlements, there are also Israeli outposts, which are established without government approval and are considered illegal by Israeli authorities.
But reports suggest the government often turns a blind eye to their creation.
In May, Mr Netanyahu's government approved 22 new settlements, including the legalisation of outposts that had previously been built without authorisation.
Since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023 and Israel's subsequent military bombardment of Gaza, more than 100 Israeli outposts have been established, according to Peace Now.
Settler violence against Palestinians has also increased, according to the UN, with an average of 118 incidents each month - up from 108 in 2023, which was already a record year.
Trump's ambassador denying existence of the West Bank 'all the encouragement' Smotrich needs
Bezalel Smotrich is pumped. His dreams of resettlement and annexation of the West Bank have never been closer to fruition.
The E1 settlement plan, which would cut the West Bank from East Jerusalem, was first conceived back in 1995 by then prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Thirty years later, the extremist settler contingent within the government seems to be on the verge of making it a reality.
The prime minister's office has yet to confirm Benjamin Netanyahu's backing, but according to Smotrich, both he and President Trump are on board.
E1 (or T1 as they say they will call it, in honour of Donald Trump) would be another symbolic blow to the very notion of Palestinian statehood, as is every settlement and piece of related infrastructure which Israel builds in the occupied West Bank.
At a time when the UK, France and others all say they will recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel pushes for a ceasefire in Gaza, Netanyahu's government is doubling down.
Per Smotrich, their response will come through roads, buildings, neighbourhoods, the spread of Jewish life across Palestinian lands in the West Bank - the creation of facts on the ground.
The UK, France and many others in the international community may not like it, but the real power-broker here, certainly as far as Netanyahu is concerned, is Donald Trump.
He is the president who moved the US embassy to Jerusalem; his ambassador has said there is no such thing as the West Bank.
For the likes of Smotrich, that is all the encouragement they need.
Plans criticised as 'extension of genocide'
The Palestinian foreign ministry called the settlement plan an extension of the crimes of genocide, displacement and annexation. Israel has long disputed accusations of genocide and rights abuses, saying it is acting in self-defence.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Palestinian president's spokesperson, called on the US to pressure Israel to stop the building of settlements.
Hamas said the plan was part of Israel's "colonial, extremist" policies and called on Palestinians to confront it.
Qatar, which has been acting as a mediator between Hamas and Israel in a bid to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, said the move was a flagrant violation of international law.
"The EU rejects any territorial change that is not part of a political agreement between involved parties. So annexation of territory is illegal under international law," European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said.
Today, an estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. There is also a growing movement of Israelis wanting to build settlements in Gaza.
Settlers make up around 5% of Israel's population and 15% of the West Bank's population, according to data from Peace Now.
Settlements are illegal under international law and have been condemned by the UN. They are, however, authorised by the Israeli government.
According to the Israel Policy Forum, the settlement programme is intended to protect Israel's security, with settlers acting as the first line of defence "against an invasion".
Mr Smotrich's settlement announcement comes after the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on Mr Smotrich and his fellow far-right cabinet member, Itamar Ben-Gvir, for "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian civilians" in the West Bank.
4:33
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in June that the ministers had been "encouraging egregious abuses of human rights" for "months".
Last year, Mr Smotrich, whose National Religious Party largely draws its support from settlers, ordered preparations for the annexation of the West Bank.
His popularity has fallen in recent months, with polls showing that his party would not win a single seat in parliament in elections were held today.
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The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Afghanistan is starting its fifth year of Taliban rule. Here are 5 things to know
The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 for the second time. Since then, the former insurgents have consolidated their grip on power, excluded women and girls from public life, stamped out internal dissent and external challengers, and gained debut recognition as the country's official government from Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. The Taliban govern through decrees, but Afghans have aspirations and needs that cannot be fulfilled through edicts and ideology. Climate change, an increasing population, and severe cuts to foreign aid will test the Taliban's ability to lead and not just rule. Here are five things to know about the Taliban as they start their fifth year in power: The supreme leader has cemented his legacy Kandahar-based Hibatullah Akhundzada has led the Taliban from insurgency to authority since his appointment in 2016. But transition and status are peripheral to what he has wanted for the past 20 years: establishing an Islamic system. Central to this vision was his ratification last year of the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law, which codifies many aspects of Afghan life, including who people can befriend. In June, Akhundzada said the Taliban had fought and sacrificed themselves for the implementation of Islamic law. It was obligatory to follow the leadership's commands and directives, he added, and everyone was required to act within the bounds of this obedience. His supporters emphasize his superior religious authority to issue decrees. The higher education minister went one step further in April, equating criticism of Akhundzada with blasphemy and saying obedience to him was a divine order. 'He (the leader) decides what moves and what doesn't move, what happens and what doesn't,' said Ibraheem Bahiss, a senior analyst with Crisis Group's Asia program. The Taliban's internal differences are buried deep There were pockets within the Taliban that initially advocated lifting bans on women and girls, or at least modifying them, to allow greater global and financial engagement. Akhundzada and his circle withstood such pressure, however, and the Taliban government has emerged from its isolation to develop diplomatic ties and raise several billion dollars every year in tax revenues to keep the lights on. Power brokers, like Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, have been weakened. Since November, Akhundzada has had direct control over Afghanistan's weapons and military equipment, sidelining the Interior Ministry and the Defense Ministry, which is run by Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, whose father founded the Taliban. Haqqani, whose uncle was killed in a high-profile suicide attack last December, used to take swipes at the leadership. Not anymore. Haqqani, who heads a powerful network of his own, cannot start a fight with the Kandahar faction and win. Political deputy Sher Abbas Stanikzai rebuked Akhundzada in January, stating the education bans had no basis in Islamic law, or Sharia. He left Afghanistan shortly afterwards and remains outside the country. He denies reports that he fled or faced arrest had he stayed. Akhundzada has put Islamic law at the heart of his leadership, while also putting his leadership at the heart of its implementation. 'He's made himself indispensable, and the entire movement is beholden to him,' Bahiss said. There's no sign of change for Afghan women and girls Russia's recognition of the Taliban sends a 'deeply troubling' message, said Zahra Nader, the editor-in-chief of the Afghan women-led newsroom Zan Times. 'It tells the Taliban they can continue to suppress women's rights and commit systematic human rights violations without facing consequences. They are being rewarded for it. This move is a slap in the face to Afghan women.' There is opposition to the Taliban's policies, but people are fearful because no powerful alternative exists, she said. The Taliban 'took the country by force and maintained control' through violence. Women took to Afghanistan's streets in protest after the takeover, but these were met with retaliation. 'The absence of visible protest should not be mistaken for acceptance,' said Nader. 'It reflects the extreme risks people face for dissent. The resistance is still there, quiet, private, and simmering, but public expression has been crushed through fear and force.' The Taliban insist that women's rights are protected. Nader says that, although there is 'little faith' that the country's rulers will change their policies, women are preparing themselves 'emotionally and intellectually' for a future beyond the Taliban. 'That hope, that this brutality will not last forever, is what keeps many of them going. These women do not believe the regime will change its stance on women's rights.' Regional ties are transactional It's not trust or shared values that define the Taliban's relationships. Afghanistan borders six countries, many of which are trade partners and also balk at being lectured by the West on rights and freedoms. Landlocked Afghanistan is sandwiched between the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia, making it strategically located for energy-rich and energy-hungry nations. The Taliban's bilateral relations proceed on common ground: borders, water, transit, and security. Anti-migrant rhetoric, especially in Europe, could increase diplomatic engagement as political parties in the West seek to placate their supporters. The UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said the Taliban's broader diplomatic interactions were eroding the 'non-recognition' approach of the West and ushering in 'creeping normalization.' The Taliban feel comfortable in the region and have found an acceptable way of operating, while the region has adjusted to their presence. 'What we've seen in the last four years is not real pressure (on the Taliban), but rather normalization and appeasement,' Nader said. 'For those of us watching from inside and outside Afghanistan, this is not just political, it's personal. It's painful. It confirms our fear that the suffering of Afghan women is being sidelined in favor of political interests.' The real test for the Taliban is yet to come Until April, the U.S. was the largest donor to Afghanistan, where more than half of the population relies on aid to survive. But it terminated this emergency assistance due to concerns that the Taliban were benefiting from such aid. Thousands of Afghans, including women, will lose their jobs as nongovernmental organizations and agencies scale back their work or shut down. The loss of jobs, contracts, and the shrinking humanitarian footprint also equate to a loss in revenue for the Taliban. One U.N. agency said there were 'reputational and staff security risks' where humanitarian agencies were forced to suspend operations due to reduced funding, causing grievances among communities, or after partners couldn't pay suppliers or complete contracts. Aid officials warn that frustration and an increase in tensions will trigger spontaneous violence as people compete for resources and services. The cuts coincide with the mass expulsions of Afghans from neighboring countries, swelling the population and the ranks of the unemployed while also halting the flow of inward remittances. The World Health Organization estimates the population will increase by 85% to 76.88 million by 2050. Afghanistan needs to give people food, shelter, and economic opportunities. Thomas Ruttig, from the Afghanistan Analysts Network, recalled meeting a leading Taliban figure in a 'completely rundown' office during the late 1990s. The Taliban fighter told him they could live under those circumstances, but foreigners couldn't. 'What they also say is that Afghans can live under those circumstances, which, to an extent, is true,' said Ruttig. 'They were forced to live under those circumstances and have learned how to cope." Now their means of coping — houses, land, and some savings — are gone. The Taliban took it for granted that they won the war with the help of Allah and the population, he explained. He added that, although the Taliban were a reflection of Afghans' ambitions, they needed to open up and listen to people's concerns. 'But they know the more they open up, the more they are questioned, and their rule might be undermined.' The Taliban needed to think about whether they wanted to govern the country simply to rule it, said Ruttig. 'Or do we want to rule this country to make Afghanistan a better place to live? That's probably the big question in front of them.'
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
A timeline of events in Afghanistan in the four years since the Taliban's takeover
Here is a look at key dates since the Taliban returned to power four years ago, as United States and NATO forces withdrew from the country: ___ 2021 Aug. 15: The Taliban march into Kabul, returning to power after two decades as internationally backed President Ashraf Ghani flees the country. Aug. 26: Islamic State group suicide bombers and gunmen kill over 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops in an attack on the crowds trying to be evacuated at Kabul's airport. ___ 2022 March 23: On the day high schools are opening, the Taliban abruptly reverse a promise to allow girls above the sixth grade to attend school. May 7: The Taliban Virtue and Vice Ministry says women in public must wear all-encompassing robes and cover their faces except for their eyes. It advises them to stay home unless they have important work outside the house. Nov. 10: A nationwide ban on women using gyms and parks comes into force. The Taliban say they imposed the ban because women allegedly disobeyed gender segregation rules or didn't cover themselves properly. Nov. 20: The Taliban lash 19 people, including alleged adulterers, in the first public flogging since their return to rule. Dec. 8: The Taliban execute a convicted killer before hundreds of spectators, the first public execution since the takeover. Dec. 21: The Taliban bar female students from attending university. Dec. 24: The Taliban bar Afghan women from working with national and international nongovernmental groups. ___ 2023 July 4: The Taliban order beauty salons to shut down for offering allegedly un-Islamic services like eyebrow shaping. The decision affects as many as 60,000 female entrepreneurs. Sept. 13: The Taliban hail China's new ambassador with fanfare. Months later, the Taliban officially send their new ambassador to Beijing. Oct. 4: Pakistan announces a major crackdown on foreigners living in the country illegally, including millions of Afghans. Oct. 7: A 6.3 magnitude earthquake in western Herat province kills thousands. More quakes follow, bringing further devastation to the area. ___ 2024 Jan. 4: The Taliban arrest women in Kabul for wearing 'bad hijab,' the first official dress code crackdown since they returned to power. May 17: Shooters open fire in Bamiyan, killing six people, including three Spanish vacationers. It's a blow to the Taliban's plans to woo tourists. IS claims the attack. June 4: The leader of the United Arab Emirates meets a Taliban official facing a U.S. bounty over his involvement in deadly assaults. It highlights the growing divide on how to deal with the Taliban. July 30: The Taliban say they no longer recognize Afghan diplomatic missions staffed by diplomats from the former Western-backed government. Aug. 13: The Taliban celebrate the third anniversary of their return to power at a former U.S. air base that was once the center of Washington's war to unseat the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. Aug. 21: The UAE accepts the credentials of the Taliban's ambassador to the Gulf Arab state. Aug. 22: Authorities ban women's voices and bare faces in public under new laws approved by the supreme leader in efforts to combat vice and promote virtue. Sept. 13: IS militants kill 14 people in a Shiite-majority area of central Afghanistan, gunning them down as they returned from visiting shrines in Iraq. Sept. 16: The Taliban suspend polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, one of two countries in which the spread of the potentially fatal, paralyzing disease has never been stopped. Oct. 15: Taliban run-media stop showing images of living beings in some Afghan provinces to comply with morality laws. 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Afghan officials say the airstrikes killed 46 people, mostly women and children. ___ 2025 Jan. 22: A prisoner swap with the U.S. frees two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges. The Taliban free more Americans months later. Jan. 24: The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor requests arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials for the repression of women. Feb. 24: The Taliban confirm the arrest of two elderly British nationals, Peter and Barbie Reynolds. March 5: A suspect in the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport appears in a U.S. court following his capture in Pakistan. March 23: The U.S. lifts bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister. June 5: U.S. President Donald Trump bans entry for citizens from 12 countries, including Afghanistan. July 4: Russia becomes the first country to officially recognize the Taliban government.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
20 years after its landmark withdrawal from Gaza, Israel is mired there
Twenty years ago, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling 21 Jewish settlements and pulling out its forces. The Friday anniversary of the start of the landmark disengagement comes as Israel is mired in a nearly 2-year war with Hamas that has devastated the Palestinian territory and means it is likely to keep troops there long into the future. Israel's disengagement, which also included removing four settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial attempt to jump-start negotiations with the Palestinians. But it bitterly divided Israeli society and led to the empowerment of Hamas, with implications that continue to reverberate today. The emotional images of Jews being ripped from their homes by Israeli soldiers galvanized Israel's far-right and settler movements. The anger helped them organize and increase their political influence, accounting in part for the rise of hard-line politicians like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. On Thursday, Smotrich boasted of a settlement expansion plan east of Jerusalem that will 'bury' the idea of a future Palestinian state. For Palestinians, even if they welcomed the disengagement, it didn't end Israel's control over their lives. Soon after, Hamas won elections in 2006, then drove out the Palestinian Authority in a violent takeover. Israel and Egypt imposed a closure on the territory, controlling entry and exit of goods and people. Though its intensity varied over the years, the closure helped impoverish the population and entrenched a painful separation from Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians claim all three territories for a future independent state. A unilateral withdrawal enhanced Hamas' stature Israel couldn't justify the military or economic cost of maintaining the heavily fortified settlements in Gaza, explained Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Misgav Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies think tanks. There were around 8,000 Israeli settlers and 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza in 2005. 'There was no chance for these settlements to exist or flourish or become meaningful enough to be a strategic anchor,' he said. By contrast, there are more than 500,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, most living in developed settlement blocs that have generally received more support from Israeli society, Michael said. Most of the world considers the settlements illegal under international law. Because Israel withdrew unilaterally, without any coordination with the Palestinian Authority, it enhanced Hamas' stature among Palestinians in Gaza. 'This contributed to Hamas' win in the elections in 2006, because they leveraged it and introduced it as a very significant achievement,' Michael said. 'They saw it as an achievement of the resistance and a justification for the continuation of the armed resistance.' Footage of the violence between Israeli settlers and Israeli soldiers also created an 'open wound' in Israeli society, Michael said. 'I don't think any government will be able to do something like that in the future,' he said. That limits any flexibility over settlements in the West Bank if negotiations over a two-state solution with the Palestinians ever resume. 'Disengagement will never happen again, this is a price we're paying as a society, and a price we're paying politically,' he said. One of the first settlers longs to return Anita Tucker, now 79, was part of the first nine Jewish families that moved to the Gaza Strip in 1976. She and her husband and their three kids lived in an Israeli army outpost near what is today Deir al-Balah, while the settlement of Netzer Hazoni was constructed. Originally from Brooklyn, she started a farm growing vegetables in the harsh, tall sand dunes. At first relations were good with their Palestinian neighbors, she said, and they worked hard to build their home and a 'beautiful community.' She had two more children, and three chose to stay and raise their families in Netzer Hazoni. She can still recall the moment, 20 years ago, when 1,000 Israeli soldiers arrived at the gate to the settlement to remove the approximately 400 residents. Some of her neighbors lit their houses on fire in protest. 'Obviously it was a mistake to leave. The lives of the Arabs became much worse, and the lives of the Jews became much, much worse, with rockets and Oct. 7,' she said, referring to the decades of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel and the date in 2023 of the Hamas attack that launched the ongoing war. Despite the passage of time, her family still is 'yearning and longing for their home,' she said. Several of her 10 grandchildren, including some who spent their early childhood in the Gaza settlements, have served in the current war and were near her old house. 'It's hard to believe, because of all the terrible things that happened that we predicted, but we're willing to build there again,' said Tucker. Palestinians doubt Israel will ever fully withdraw from Gaza again After Israel's withdrawal 20 years ago, many Palestinians described Gaza as an 'open-air prison.' They had control on the inside – under a Hamas government that some supported but some saw as heavy-handed and brutal. But ultimately, Israel had a grip around the territory. Many Palestinians believe Sharon carried out the withdrawal so Israel could focus on cementing its control in the West Bank through settlement building. Now some believe more direct Israeli occupation is returning to Gaza. After 22 months of war, Israeli troops control more than 75% of Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks of maintaining security control long term after the war. Amjad Shawa, the director of the Palestinian NGO Network, said he doesn't believe Netanyahu will repeat Sharon's full withdrawal. Instead, he expects the military to continue controlling large swaths of Gaza through 'buffer zones.' The aim, he said, is to keep Gaza 'unlivable in order to change the demographics,' referring to Netanyahu's plans to encourage Palestinians to leave the territory. Israel is 'is reoccupying the Gaza Strip' to prevent a Palestinian state, said Mostafa Ibrahim, an author based in Gaza City whose home was destroyed in the current war. Missed opportunities Israeli former Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, who was head of the country's Southern Command during the disengagement, remembers the toll of protecting a few thousand settlers. There were an average of 10 attacks per day against Israeli settlers and soldiers, including rockets, roadside bombs big enough to destroy a tank, tunnels to attack Israeli soldiers and military positions, and frequent gunfire. 'Bringing a school bus of kids from one place to another required a military escort,' said Harel. 'There wasn't a future. People paint it as how wonderful it was there, but it wasn't wonderful.' Harel says the decision to evacuate Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip was the right one, but that Israel missed crucial opportunities. Most egregious, he said, was a unilateral withdrawal without obtaining any concessions from the Palestinians in Gaza or the Palestinian Authority. He also sharply criticized Israel's policy of containment toward Hamas after disengagement. There were short but destructive conflicts over the years between the two sides, but otherwise the policy gave Hamas 'an opportunity to do whatever they wanted.' 'We had such a blind spot with Hamas, we didn't see them morph from a terror organization into an organized military, with battalions and commanders and infrastructure,' he said. The Oct. 7 attack, Israel's largest military intelligence failure to date, was not a result of the disengagement, said Harel. 'The main issue is what we did in the 18 years in between.' __ Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled contributed from Cairo.
