Smotrich Pushes Ahead with 3,400-Home E1 Settlement Plan, Threatening Palestinian Statehood

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has formally approved the construction of 3,401 housing units in the contentious E1 corridor, located between East Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. He declared that the move is intended to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state” and solidify Israel’s control over the area through irreversible “facts on the ground.” The plan, dormant for over a decade due to international opposition, marks one of the most aggressive settlement expansions in years.

The E1 area,short for “East 1” is a roughly 12-square-kilometer stretch of land linking Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim. Its location is of immense strategic importance, as development there would create a continuous Israeli urban belt from Jerusalem to the settlement, effectively cutting East Jerusalem off from the northern and southern parts of the West Bank. This would fragment Palestinian territory, forcing lengthy detours for movement between regions, and would severely undermine the feasibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.

The plan has faced decades of pushback from the United States, European Union, and United Nations, all of which consider settlement building in occupied territory a violation of international law. For Palestinians, E1 is a red line: they view its construction as the final blow to the two-state solution and a step toward de facto annexation of key parts of the West Bank.

Smotrich claims support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. President Donald Trump, though neither has publicly confirmed it. If administrative and legal processes proceed as planned, infrastructure work could begin within months, with housing construction starting in about a year. The announcement comes amid heightened regional tensions and renewed global focus on Palestinian state recognition.

Sources:

Reuters, Financial Times, AP News