Israeli authorities have finally approved a new settlement project in the West Bank, Reuters reported on 20 August.
The plan, dubbed E1, envisages the development of the area between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maali Adumim. It would thus expand the Israeli-settled area around East Jerusalem beyond the Green Border (Israel’s internationally recognised border) in the Palestinian territories.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the decision “a step that essentially erases the illusory concept of a two-state solution.”
As Reuters explains, infrastructure construction could begin within months, and the first homes for settlers could appear in about a year.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank began to appear after the 1967 Six-Day War. The settlements are considered illegal by the international community because they are built in occupied territories. Israel denies accusations of violating international law. As of 2023, there were 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The E1 plan first appeared back in 2010, but then, amid sharp international reaction, Israel abandoned its implementation.