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The National
38 minutes ago
- The National
Israeli far-right minister aims to 'bury idea of Palestinian state' with approval of E1 settlements
Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich is to approve tenders for more than 3,000 units in the E1 area surrounding East Jerusalem in a move he said would bury the prospect of a Palestinian state. 'Approval of construction plans in E1 buries the idea of a Palestinian state and continues the many steps we are taking on the ground as part of the de facto sovereignty plan that we began implementing with the establishment of the government,' Mr Smotrich said. Mr Smotrich has a pattern of announcing settlements when the momentum towards Palestinian statehood builds. Most recently, Australia joined announcements by France, the UK and Canada to recognise Palestine as a state in September. E1 would fall between the Palestinian village of Al Zaim and the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, one of the biggest in the occupied West Bank. It would deal a devastating blow to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. E1 would expand the separation barrier that cuts the city off from the occupied West Bank, undermining sovereignty, freedom of movement and the economy of a future Palestine. The project has been frozen for decades due to condemnation by the international community. 'After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem,' Mr Smotrich said. 'This is Zionism at its best – building, settling, and strengthening our sovereignty in the land of Israel.' Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors the development of settlements, calls E1 'particularly devastating for the prospects of peace and the future of a two-state solution, as it would cut the West Bank in two and prevent the development of the metropolitan area between Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem'. There would be less space for Palestinians to build in an area where there is a shortage of homes and classrooms. 'The Israeli government is openly announcing apartheid,' said Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at NGO Ir Amim. 'It explicitly states that the E1 plans were approved to 'bury' the two-state solution and to entrench de facto sovereignty. 'States now working to recognise a Palestinian state should understand that Israel is undeterred by diplomatic gestures or condemnations. If they are serious about the prospect of peace, they must take concrete action.' The idea for E1 originated in the 1990s and reflects the long-term Israeli desire to expand settlements despite international objections. A more specific purpose of E1 is to connect Ma'ale Adumim, currently separated from the outskirts of East Jerusalem, with the city. Significant international opposition, including from the US, proved effective in blocking it, even as settlement expansion continued elsewhere in the occupied West Bank. Since the Israel-Gaza war broke out on October 7, 2023, the wider settlement project has been in the ascendancy, including E1. Record numbers of Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli settlers who have access to more arms and enjoy greater impunity than before from the government and authorities. On Wednesday, an Israeli settler shot and killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a string of attacks by the Israeli army and settlers. Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's army and its settlers in the West Bank since October 2023, UN figures have said. Israel last year launched operation Iron Wall in the north of the occupied West Bank where more than 30,000 Palestinians remain forcibly displaced. Israeli forces have fired at people attempting to return home, the UN has said.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Hind Rajab Foundation identifies Israeli soldiers responsible for killing Anas al-Sharif
Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) & Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) have said that they have filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against those behind the killing of Palestinian journalists, including Anas al-Sharif. HRF and PCHR have identified Israel's Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar, Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor, Gen. A (Unit 8200), Palmachim Airbase Cmdr, 'Black Snake' Sq Cmdr & Col. Avichay Adraee as those responsible for the killings. On Sunday, the Israeli military announced that it had attacked a journalists' tent near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Sharif, who was one of the most prominent journalists covering Israel's assault on Gaza, was the target of the attack. In addition to Sharif, six other Palestinians were killed in the attack, including Al Jazeera correspondent and Middle East Eye contributor Mohammed Qreiqeh as well as camera operators Mohammed Noufal, Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa. HRF is a Belgium-based organisation formed to challenge Israeli impunity concerning war crimes and human rights violations in Palestine. PCHR is a Gaza-based NGO dedicated to protecting human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel rejected requests to bring aid into Gaza: International NGOs in joint letter
A new Israeli law regulating foreign NGOs has been increasingly used to deny their requests to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, according to a letter signed by more than a hundred NGOs, news agency AFP has reported. 'The Israeli authorities have rejected the requests of dozens of NGOs to bring essential goods [to Gaza], claiming that these organisations are not authorised to provide aid,' the joint statement says. 'Despite statements from Israeli authorities that there is no limit to the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, most major international NGOs have not been able to deliver a single truck of vital supplies since March 2,' the letter said. According to the letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), at least 60 aid requests for Gaza were rejected in July alone. In March, the Israeli government approved a new set of rules for foreign non-governmental organisations working with Palestinians. This law updates the framework governing how aid groups must register to maintain their status in Israel, as well as provisions specifying how their requests can be refused or their registration revoked.
