Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced plans to approve the construction of more than 3,000 homes in the long-disputed E1 settlement area of the occupied West Bank.
The project, which links Jerusalem to the Maale Adumim settlement, has been on hold for decades due to strong international opposition. If completed, it would create a continuous stretch of Israeli-built territory, cutting off the West Bank from occupied East Jerusalem and posing a significant obstacle to the territorial unity sought by Palestinians for a future state.
Smotrich framed the project as a decisive step toward cementing Israeli control over the area noting that the expansion will strengthen sovereignty and connect communities in what he describes as a vital national project.
