Latest news with #E1plan
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Israel appears set to approve controversial settlement of 3,400 homes in West Bank
Israel appears set to give formal planning approval to a highly controversial settlement project for more than 3,400 new homes – which has been frozen for decades – which critics say would split the occupied West Bank in half. Strongly opposed by the international community, the so-called E1 plan would extend the existing Jewish settlement of Ma'ale Adumim towards Jerusalem, further cutting occupied east Jerusalem from the West Bank, and further separating the north and south of the territory. The decision from the Supreme Planning Council, which meets next week, is expected to support the plan after rejecting objections by Israeli NGOs. The expected decision in favour comes as Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich – who backs both the plan as well as the imposition of Israeli sovereignty through the occupied West Bank – gloated that he believed construction on E1 would 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state'. Smotrich is a junior minister who also holds a position at Israel's defence ministry with oversight of planning issues in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was sanctioned along with fellow far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir by the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in June for 'repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities'. Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Ma'ale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and US president, Donald Trump, had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either. While approval for the plan would be a significant step, it remained unclear on Thursday how much buy-in Smotrich has from Netanyahu and the Trump administration. Netanyahu has not commented on Smotrich's remarks, while the US state department appeared to dodge the issue of E1 when questioned. 'Those in the world trying to recognise a Palestinian state will get an answer from us on the ground,' Smotrich said on Thursday, as he announced the plan's impending approval. 'Not through documents, not through decisions or declarations, but through facts. Facts of homes, neighbourhoods, roads and Jewish families building their lives.' The anticipated decision was immediately condemned by the EU. '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. The Norwegian foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said the move by Smotrich, an ultranationalist in the ruling rightwing coalition who has long advocated for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, showed that Israel 'seeks to appropriate land owned by Palestinians in order to prevent a two-state solution'. While a UN spokesperson called on Israel to reverse a decision that would end prospects of a two-state solution, the US state department was more evasive. Asked about Smotrich's statement that Netanyahu and Trump had agreed to the development, a spokesperson for the US state department said the US remained focused on ending the war in Gaza and ensuring Hamas will never govern that territory again. 'A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region,' the spokesperson said, while referring to the Israeli government for further information. The fraught question of E1 – and whether the land will ever be built on – has become one of Israel's most interminable sagas, embraced by settler politicians but seen by more mainstream politicians as a red line over Washington's previous history of firm opposition. While Smotrich, whose increasingly unpopular far-right party would be unlikely to win any seats if elections were held today, has spent the past 24 hours grandstanding around the issue, any decision to meaningfully advance with actual building on E1 would probably have to be made by Netanyahu given the diplomatic ramifications. Reflecting the strong international opposition, the UK's Foreign Office said in July – when the issue of E1 re-emerged – that construction would be 'a flagrant breach of international law' threatening the viability of a future Palestinian state. Smotrich's remarks follow declarations in recent days by a growing number of countries of their intention to recognise a Palestinian state in the coming months, which Israel has condemned. The Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement building, said: 'The Netanyahu government is exploiting every minute to deepen the annexation of the West Bank and prevent the possibility of a two-state solution. 'It is clear to everyone today that the only solution to the conflict, and the only way to defeat Hamas, is through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. 'The government of Israel is condemning us to continued bloodshed, instead of working to end it.' First mooted in the 1990s by then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the E1 plan has barely advanced in the past 20 years amid recognition by successive Israeli governments of the depth of international opposition, including in Washington. However, even with the tacit approval of the Trump administration, movement towards building would have severe diplomatic ramifications for an already diplomatically isolated Israel, leading to speculation that even with planning permission the plan might not advance.
Middle East Eye
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel to advance E1 settlement project that would ‘kill the Palestinian state'
Israel is poised to move forward with a highly contentious settlement project east of Jerusalem that would effectively divide the occupied West Bank in two, according to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. 'This is how we effectively kill the Palestinian state,' Smotrich, a far-right minister who also oversees settlement activity and civilian affairs in the West Bank, said during a conference on Tuesday. The project, known as the E1 plan, would involve the construction of 3,412 housing units for Israeli settlers on occupied Palestinian land. It aims to connect the settlements of Kfar Adumim and Maale Adumim with occupied East Jerusalem, cutting off Palestinian communities from one another and significantly disrupting territorial continuity. The plan would isolate East Jerusalem from the West Bank, forcing Palestinians to take lengthy detours to travel between cities and towns, while enabling further expansion of Israeli settlements. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Although the E1 construction plan dates back to the 1990s, its implementation has repeatedly been delayed due to strong international opposition. Both the United States and the European Union have warned successive Israeli governments against advancing the plan, citing its potentially devastating impact on prospects for a two-state solution. Smotrich said the government will advance the plans in the coming months, though he did not give a specific date. 'The plan makes the establishment of a viable Palestinian state impossible' - Ismail Musalmani, Palestinian analyst Xavier Abu Eid, a communications advisor with the Palestine Liberation Organisation's negotiations department, warned that Smotrich's remarks should not be dismissed as fringe rhetoric. He noted that the minister's stance reflects a broader consensus within Israeli politics. 'Smotrich is not a marginal voice,' Abu Eid told Middle East Eye. 'When it comes to Palestine, his goal of denying Palestinian freedom aligns with the mainstream among Zionist parties. And when it comes to racism more broadly, his role is essential in keeping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition intact.' Abu Eid said Smotrich's previous statements align with broader Israeli policies, including those he described as 'ethnic cleansing and occupation in Gaza, targeting West Bank refugee camps and moving for annexation in the West Bank'. Preventing a Palestinian state Speaking at a settlement conference organised by the right-wing Makor Rishon newspaper in the Ofra settlement, Smotrich reaffirmed his commitment to the project. He said the government had already approved 15,000 settlement units in 2024 and is investing 7bn shekels (approximately $1.9bn) in new roads across the West Bank to facilitate further settlement growth. Israel's Smotrich takes measures to fast-track West Bank settlement building Read More » In March, Israel's political-security cabinet approved a separate road for Palestinians south of the E1 area, linking the northern and southern West Bank. This road is seen as a preparatory step to expand settlement construction in the area. Under the plan, Palestinian traffic would be rerouted away from Route 1 - the main highway connecting Jerusalem to Maale Adumim - reserving it primarily for Israeli use. These steps are part of an Israeli policy to 'impose a new irreversible settler reality on the ground', according to Ismail Musalmani, a Palestinian analyst on Israeli affairs. 'The plan makes the establishment of a viable Palestinian state impossible,' Musalmani told MEE. 'This is because it will lead to the fragmentation of Palestinian territories into isolated 'Bantustans' and prevent Palestinian sovereignty over external borders or natural resources,' he added, referring to the Black-only ghettos created by apartheid South Africa. Creating facts on the ground Smotrich claimed that the initiatives would significantly boost the Israeli population in the West Bank: 'This is how we bring in a million settlers.' Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, all of which have been built since Israel captured the territories in the 1967 Middle East war. Under international law, settlement construction in an occupied territory is illegal. Israel's Smotrich tells authorities to prepare for West Bank annexation Read More » The minister also vowed that 'there will be sovereignty during this term', referring to the formal annexation of parts of the West Bank under the current government led by Netanyahu. But while reaffirming his intention to push for annexation, he acknowledged that political recognition alone is insufficient. 'If Israel approves annexation and is recognised by US President Donald Trump, and then a Democratic president comes and revokes that recognition, it will be meaningless,' he said. 'Nevertheless, actual sovereignty will be realised on the ground.' According to Musalmani, these projects essentially aim to redefine the "solution" to the conflict as solely security- and administration-based, not sovereignty-based. 'These policies are moving forward and require a unified Palestinian response, serious international pressure, and innovative resistance strategies,' he said. 'That is if there is genuine will to keep the dream of a Palestinian state alive.'
