Israel approves controversial E1 settlement project, drawing international condemnation
Published: 21 August 2025, 2:26:15
Israel has approved a highly controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank, advancing plans to build around 3,400 housing units in the sensitive E1 area east of Jerusalem.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the international community, which warns the move threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.
The E1 zone, covering approximately 12 square kilometres between Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim, has long been seen as a red line by global powers due to its strategic location. Construction there would effectively bisect the West Bank, undermining any potential for a contiguous Palestinian territory.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the settlement plan as an “existential threat” to a two-state solution and called on Israel to “immediately halt all settlement activity.” The British government also denounced the move, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy calling it “a flagrant breach of international law” that would divide any future Palestinian state in two. Jordan’s King Abdullah II echoed similar concerns, reaffirming that the two-state solution is the only path to lasting peace.
The plan was publicly backed last week by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a vocal supporter of annexing parts of the West Bank. On Wednesday, Maale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach confirmed the civil administration had approved the E1 planning process.
The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the decision, stating it would fragment the West Bank into disconnected enclaves, further isolating Palestinian communities. “This undermines the chances of implementing the two-state solution,” the PA’s foreign ministry said, warning it would turn Palestinian areas into “real prisons” under Israeli control and the threat of armed settler violence.
Israeli human rights group Ir Amim said the move signals Israel’s determination to bury the possibility of Palestinian statehood. “This is a conscious Israeli choice to implement an apartheid regime,” said Aviv Tatarsky, urging the international community to intervene.
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is home to roughly 3 million Palestinians and about 500,000 Israeli settlers. All Israeli settlements in the territory are considered illegal under international law, regardless of Israeli government approval.
The decision to advance the E1 project comes amid heightened tensions and violence in the West Bank, which has surged since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 971 Palestinians in the West Bank since then. At least 36 Israelis have been killed in attacks or military operations during the same period.
According to Peace Now, an Israeli NGO that monitors settlement activity, infrastructure work in the E1 area could begin in a matter of months, with housing construction starting within a year.
