Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has granted final approval for a settlement project in the West Bank, which may affect future discussions regarding Palestinian statehood. Plans for building in E1, an area east of Jerusalem, have been reviewed for over twenty years but were put on hold due to US concerns during earlier administrations.
The status of Israeli activities in the Palestinian territories has been widely debated under international law. In a landmark ruling last year, the International Court of Justice advised that Israel should cease settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its occupation of those areas, along with Gaza, as soon as possible.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who was previously a settler leader, described the approval for the settlement project as a response to Western countries that have recently declared their intention to recognize a Palestinian state.
On Wednesday, Smotrich said: “The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”
Some countries, including the United Kingdom, have in recent weeks moved to sanction Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for inciting settler violence against Palestinians and calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher stated Wednesday that the government firmly rejects the settlement approval, citing violations of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
In a post on X, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the E1 project approval “a flagrant breach of international law.”
E1 is crucial as it links the major West Bank cities, Ramallah and Bethlehem. Although only 22 kilometres apart, Palestinians must take long detours and cross several Israeli checkpoints, making the trip lengthy. The area was intended to provide a direct connection between the cities in a future Palestinian state.
As global attention remains on Gaza, Israel’s settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank has coincided with increases in settler attacks, evictions of Palestinians, military operations, and new checkpoints restricting movement.
