❗️Israel grants final approval for E1 settlement plan that would split West Bank

 ❗️Israel grants final approval for E1 settlement plan that would split West Bank

Israel has granted final approval for the long-delayed E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, a move rights groups warn will bisect the territory and make a future Palestinian state impossible.

The plan, which includes around 3,500 housing units to expand Maale Adumim, cleared its last legal hurdle on 6 August and was formally approved by Israel’s Planning and Building Committee on Wednesday. Infrastructure could begin within months, with construction starting in about a year.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, hailed the project as a direct response to western governments recognizing Palestine, declaring: “This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state.”

The E1 zone is the final land corridor linking Ramallah and Bethlehem, and its development would sever the northern and southern West Bank. Peace Now called the move “deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution,” warning it guarantees more bloodshed.