JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a position in the Defense Ministry as supervisor of settlement affairs, announced on Wednesday that he is approving the construction of 3,401 housing units in the E1 area near the town of Ma’ale Adumim, thus connecting the town to Jerusalem and preventing any contiguous Palestinian state in the region.
The E1 project, which had been delayed for over a decade due to international pressure, is viewed by critics as a major obstacle to a future Palestinian state. Peace group Peace Now has previously described the plan as “a death blow” to the two-state solution, arguing it would bisect the West Bank and prevent development of a contiguous Palestinian metropolitan area connecting Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Three key regions where Israel plans to establish new communities: E1, Givat Hamatos in the south and Atarot north of Jerusalem
There has been no formal government authorization of the project beyond Smotrich’s public statement. Similar plans announced in the past have often stalled for years. Nonetheless, the minister insisted the project would move forward.
“The plan links Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem and severs the Arab continuity between Ramallah and Bethlehem,” Smotrich said. “It is the final nail in the coffin of the Palestinian state idea. For the Palestinians and the international community, this is a strategic area without which a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem cannot exist.”
Smotrich added that another 3,515 housing units would be built in a neighborhood called Tzippor Midbar, between the town of Maale Adumim and the industrial zone of Mishor Adumim. He framed the announcement as part of what he called a “de facto sovereignty” policy initiated under the current government, aimed at expanding Israeli control over the West Bank.
“After decades of international pressure and construction freezes, we are breaking the mold and connecting Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem,” he said.
Although the plan has yet to receive formal approval, it was welcomed by local leaders. Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, called it “a historic achievement for the settlement enterprise on the way to applying sovereignty.” The mayor of Ma’ale Adumim said Palestinian efforts to encircle the area through illegal construction would be thwarted by the new neighborhood.
The E1 move forms part of a broader shift under Smotrich’s leadership of the Civil Administration, marked by settlement expansion in strategic areas. The stated goal is to advance Israeli sovereignty and derail the establishment of a Palestinian state.
If implemented, the E1 construction would send a clear message to countries that have recently recognized or signaled support for Palestinian statehood. Smotrich has previously announced new settlement approvals in response to diplomatic actions by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Within Israel’s religious nationalist camp, there is a growing expectation that calls for Palestinian statehood will intensify after the war in Gaza ends, and this requires a diplomatic response from the government which will include some form of sovereignty applied to Judea and Samaria.
Last_Operation6747 on August 14th, 2025 at 20:54 UTC »
The nail in the coffin of a Palestinian state was in 1948 when they rejected their state in favour of a war
Public-Cookie5543 on August 14th, 2025 at 18:48 UTC »
First of all, I think one unified Palestinian state has never been possible, Gaza and West Bank will go each their own way, even if they start under one government they will drift apart like east and west Pakistan.
fuggitdude22 on August 14th, 2025 at 16:56 UTC »
Bezalel Smotrich has a dream — a dream paved in concrete, checkpoints, and bulldozers. The Israeli finance minister, who moonlights as a demolition man for Palestinian statehood, has revived the long-festering “E1” settlement project like it’s a forgotten Broadway show he’s determined to drag back to center stage. Forget two states. Smotrich wants one — his — and he wants to bury the alternative under 3,000 red-roofed homes and ideological hubris.
Standing proudly over a map that looks less like a peace plan and more like a military schematic, he called it “Zionism at its best.” But what it really is, is realism at its worst. Smotrich, who has never met a Palestinian aspiration he couldn’t crush under legalese and concrete mixers, is now racing against European diplomats who might dare to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN this fall. His response? “We’ll give them an answer on the ground.” Which sounds less like foreign policy and more like a gangster movie tagline.
The international community, that perpetually exasperated Greek chorus, has already deemed these settlements illegal. But the Israeli hard right, intoxicated by its own electoral math and post-Gaza fury, has stopped caring about applause from The Hague. The only standing ovation they want is from their base — settlers, nationalists, and the ideologically emboldened who see compromise as betrayal and bulldozers as destiny.