![[FILE] Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's office next to an Israeli flag with the yellow symbol of the hostages, one of the symbols supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to expand the military operation in the Gaza Strip, this Monday in Jerusalem. EFE/Magda Gibelli](https://pre.efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/rss-efea34a663363162dfda36cdba9e26319fe2b16197bw.webp)
Jerusalem, Aug 20 (EFE).- Israel on Wednesday gave final approval to a highly contested plan to expand settlements in the “E1” area near East Jerusalem, a move critics warn would sever the occupied West Bank from the city and deal a fatal blow to prospects for a Palestinian state.
The project would block Palestinian access to the city from the occupied West Bank and hinder any hopes for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
In a statement, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister and prominent settler Bezalel Smotrich confirmed the Israeli Civil Administration’s decision, declaring it “a significant step that practically erases the two-state delusion and consolidates the Jewish people’s hold on the heart of the Land of Israel.”
“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not by slogans but by deeds. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea,” said Smotrich, one of the leading figures behind Israel’s settlement drive in the occupied territories.
The move has already sparked regional condemnation. Qatar’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the plan, calling it “a blatant violation of” UN resolutions.
Iraq and Jordan also denounced the project, warning it would further destabilize the region and erode the prospects of peace.
Israeli advocacy group Peace Now likewise criticized the decision, stressing that settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is illegal under international law.
The group said the approval covers tenders for more than 3,000 housing units in the disputed E1 corridor between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.
The E1 area has long been one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Successive US administrations and much of the international community have opposed construction there, arguing it would effectively split the West Bank in two and isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian hinterland.
Despite mounting opposition, settlement growth has surged under Israel’s far-right coalition government, which regards such projects as essential to cementing permanent Israeli control over the West Bank. EFE
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