Israel Approves Major Illegal Settlement Plan that Could Split the West Bank in Two
The project focuses on the E1 area, an open stretch of land just east of Jerusalem. Plans for building there have existed for more than 20 years but were repeatedly frozen due to international pressure.
Israel's government gave the project final approval on Wednesday. The plan includes 3,500 new homes connected to the existing Maale Adumim settlement. If construction begins soon, infrastructure work could start within months, and homes may be built within a year.
Palestinians and rights groups warn that the project would effectively cut the West Bank in two, blocking any direct link between its northern and southern cities, such as Ramallah and Bethlehem. This would make it nearly impossible to form a continuous Palestinian state.
Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlements in the West Bank, said the project's only goal is 'to sabotage a political solution.'
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, celebrated the approval. He said it was a response to Western countries that recently announced they will recognize Palestine as a state.
'The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,' Smotrich said. 'Every settlement, every neighbourhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected the idea of a Palestinian state. He insists Israel must maintain full control over the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
Over 700,000 Israeli settlers already live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In recent months, Palestinians have faced more settler attacks, home demolitions, military raids, and restrictions on movement.
Smotrich also celebrated approval for another 350 homes in the settlement of Ashael, near Hebron. He has vowed to double the settler population in the West Bank.
For Palestinians, the E1 project represents one of the most serious threats yet to their hopes of statehood. Tags: GazaIsraelPalestineWest Bank
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Morocco World
7 hours ago
- Morocco World
ICC Condemns New US Sanctions on Judges and Prosecutors
Casablanca – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sharply criticized new US sanctions targeting four of its judges and prosecutors, calling the move 'a flagrant attack' on its independence and impartiality. On Wednesday, the US State Department announced sanctions on Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost, French Judge Nicolas Guillou, and Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal. According to Washington, these officials were instrumental in efforts to investigate or prosecute US and Israeli nationals, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the ICC as a 'national security threat' and accused the court of being 'an instrument of lawfare' against the US and Israel. Rubio also described the sanctioned officials as having 'directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation.' The sanctions freeze any assets the officials hold in US jurisdictions and bar them from accessing US-based property or interests. Israel welcomed the sanctions, with Netanyahu calling the decision a 'firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign' against his country and the military. The ICC, however, denounced the move. In a statement posted on its official website, the court said the sanctions 'constitute a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution' and 'an affront against the Court's State Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims around the world.' The court has pledged to carry on its work 'undeterred,' insisting that its mandate is carried out in the interest of victims of international crimes, not in service of any political agenda. Read also: Trump Imposes Sanctions on International Criminal Court Over Israel Investigation
Morocco World
8 hours ago
- Morocco World
ICC Condemns News US Sanctions on Judges and Prosecutors
Casablanca – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sharply criticized new US sanctions targeting four of its judges and prosecutors, calling the move 'a flagrant attack' on its independence and impartiality. On Wednesday, the US State Department announced sanctions on Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost, French Judge Nicolas Guillou, and Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal. According to Washington, these officials were instrumental in efforts to investigate or prosecute US and Israeli nationals, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the ICC as a 'national security threat' and accused the court of being 'an instrument of lawfare' against the US and Israel. Rubio also described the sanctioned officials as having 'directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation.' The sanctions freeze any assets the officials hold in US jurisdictions and bar them from accessing US-based property or interests. Israel welcomed the sanctions, with Netanyahu calling the decision a 'firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign' against his country and the military. The ICC, however, denounced the move. In a statement posted on its official website, the court said the sanctions 'constitute a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution' and 'an affront against the Court's State Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims around the world.' The court has pledged to carry on its work 'undeterred,' insisting that its mandate is carried out in the interest of victims of international crimes, not in service of any political agenda. Read also: Trump Imposes Sanctions on International Criminal Court Over Israel Investigation Tags: ICC and IsraelUS and ICCUS sanctions
Morocco World
8 hours ago
- Morocco World
BDS France Slams Jamel Debbouze's Restaurant For Selling Israeli Wines
Marrakech – France's chapter of the pro-Palestinian movement BDS has launched a scathing attack on 'Dar Mima,' the upscale Moroccan restaurant co-founded by Jamel Debbouze atop the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, demanding the immediate removal of Israeli wines from its menu. In a strongly-worded letter dated August 8, released on Tuesday, and addressed to the restaurant management, BDS France condemned the establishment's decision to sell Israeli wines. 'This choice is incomprehensible, partly because these wines are mediocre and served almost nowhere else in Paris, also because Israel is not part of the 'Arab world,' and finally because we can only imagine your decision is motivated by political reasons that do not do you credit,' the organization stated. The group pointedly questioned, 'Is the absence of the wine list on your website perhaps a sign of discomfort on this issue?' alluding that the restaurant may be deliberately concealing its wine selections from public view. The group blasted the restaurant for selling wines from the Golan Heights, 'which is Syrian territory illegally annexed by Israel,' arguing that 'it is forbidden to exploit resources from occupied territories.' BDS France warned that the restaurant could be 'accused of receiving stolen goods and complicity in the crime of colonization' for selling these products. 'During the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the destruction, killings, and widespread famine, caused and planned by the Israeli army, the sale of these wines in your establishment contributes to the war economy and is an insult to all humanity,' the letter declared. The boycott campaign has placed Debbouze, a celebrated Moroccan-French actor and comedian, in a difficult position. According to BDS France's recent social media post, their letter has gone unanswered by the restaurant's management. Dar Mima, which opened in spring 2023, represents the fulfillment of Debbouze's long-standing dream to establish a Moroccan restaurant in Paris. The restaurant is named after his mother Fatima, affectionately known as 'Mima,' who plays an active role in the establishment. 'After giving my mother the opportunity to stop working, a restaurant was the best gift I could give her, as well as my friends! My mother has always wanted to share through cooking, it's her means of expression,' Debbouze told Le Figaro at the time of the restaurant's launch. The controversy plays out amid Israel's relentless assault on Gaza The controversy arises in the shadow of Israel's genocidal onslaught on Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, Israel's operations have killed 62,122 Palestinians and injured 156,758, according to figures cited by OCHA. Famine thresholds due to the Israeli blockade have been reached across most areas, with at least 269 people – including 112 children – dying of malnutrition. OHCHR has recorded 1,889 people killed while seeking food at militarized distribution points or along convoy routes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 772 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza since October 2023. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank in 2025 alone, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have killed 168 Palestinians, including 37 children. OCHA further reports 10,741 Palestinians in Israeli custody – including 3,613 held without charge or trial under administrative detention. The UN agency logged 41 settler attacks against 27 communities in a single week. Demolitions have surged with 1,160 Palestinian structures demolished this year to August 12, displacing 1,540 people. These demolitions, concentrated in the occupied West Bank – which Zionist authorities justify through biblical terminology, referring to it as 'Judea and Samaria' – reflect the imposition of theological claims onto lived Palestinian realities. West Bank atrocities continue Occupation in the West Bank continues to intensify. Israel advanced 28,872 illegal settlement units in 2024 and, on Wednesday, approved the controversial and illegal E1 project – approximately 3,500 units between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim – that would bisect the territory. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who unveiled the plans last week, declared that the very idea of a Palestinian state was 'being erased.' OCHA maps 645 movement obstacles restricting Palestinians, while about 737,000 Israeli settlers now live there. The genocide shows no signs of abating. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu insists on 'total victory' in Gaza regardless of any hostage deal – saying the 'war' won't end even if an agreement is reached. On Wednesday, Israel's defense minister approved a military plan for the conquest of Gaza City, authorizing the call-up of about 60,000 reservists, despite Hamas accepting the latest proposal from mediators for a ceasefire. In this context, BDS France's campaign against Dar Mima represents part of the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, 'as requested by Palestinian civil society since 2005,' aimed at applying economic pressure on Israel over its atrocities against Palestinians. Tags: Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS)Boycott IsraelJamel Debbouze
