Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich issued a statement on the 13th pointing out that he plans to approve the construction of 3,401 housing units in the controversial “E1 area” between Ma’ale Adumim, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
The statement indicated that this move aims to “bury the Palestinian state concept.”
The statement said that approving the construction plan for the “E1 area” is part of the “de facto sovereignty plan” that has been implemented since the current Israeli government took office. After a long period of international pressure and suspension measures, Israel will “break the norm” to connect Ma’ale Adumim with Jerusalem, which will strengthen Israel’s “sovereignty” in this area.
According to The Times of Israel, the expansion of Jewish settlements in the so-called “E1 area” has long caused concern in the international community. This move would divide the West Bank into northern and southern parts and hinder the development of Palestinian areas connecting East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ramallah.
The report quoted the Israeli NGO “Peace Now” as saying that the housing plan Smotrich is about to approve would increase the housing stock in Ma’ale Adumim by about 33%. For a settlement that has had a stagnant population of around 38,000 for the past decade and has experienced net out-migration, this would be a “massive expansion.”
The issue of Jewish settlements is one of the main obstacles to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Israel occupied East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank during the Third Middle East War in 1967 and built Jewish settlements there, causing strong opposition from the Palestinian side. According to a demographic report released by the Israeli government at the end of last year, about 510,000 Israelis live in Jewish settlements in the West Bank that were built in violation of international law.