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🇪🇬 Egypt /Conflict & Security

Israel advances settlement plan, drawing international condemnation and fears for two-state solution

From Egypt Independent · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Israel advanced a plan to build over 1,200 housing units in E1, a move condemned internationally for potentially ending the two-state solution.
  • The settlement would divide the West Bank, making a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
  • Critics call it a "scorched-earth policy" aimed at securing long-term conflict.

Israel's government has moved forward with a controversial settlement plan in the occupied West Bank, advancing the construction of over 1,200 housing units in the E1 area near Jerusalem. This move is widely condemned internationally and is seen as a significant blow to the possibility of a two-state solution.

This is a last-minute maneuver that is part of the scorched-earth policy the government is pursuing at the end of its term to secure long years of conflict and bloodshed for Israel.

— Peace NowDescribing the Israeli government's advancement of the E1 settlement plan.

The E1 plan aims to create a continuous bloc of Jewish settlements connecting East Jerusalem to the West Bank. If completed, it would effectively divide the West Bank into northern and southern sections, making the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. It would also sever East Jerusalem, which Palestinians view as their future capital, from the rest of the West Bank.

The Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not with slogans, but with actions.

— Bezalel SmotrichIsraeli Finance Minister's comment on the E1 plan.

Peace Now, an Israeli settlement watchdog, described the plan as a "last-minute maneuver" and a "scorched-earth policy" by the outgoing government to prolong conflict. For years, Israel delayed planning in E1 due to international pressure, but the current Netanyahu government has accelerated settlement approvals. Western nations, including France, Germany, the UK, Canada, and others, have reiterated warnings against participating in settlement construction due to legal and reputational risks.

At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning.

— Joint statement from leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Norway, Canada and the NetherlandsExpressing concern over the E1 plan advancement.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the Palestinian state is being "erased from the table, not with slogans, but with actions." In response, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the decision "unacceptable and destructive," warning that Britain would not "stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution." Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the British criticism as "absurd."

Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution.

— Ed MilibandUK Foreign Secretary's reaction to the E1 plan.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Egypt Independent in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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