Israel plans to expand settlements into an area of the West Bank that would effectively bisect the enclave — a move its finance minister said “buries the idea of a Palestinian state.”
The expansion into the 3,000 acres known as E1 that run between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim — long excluded from settlement plans — would amount to a major rebuke of growing Western calls to recognise Palestinian statehood.
It comes as the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorised a large-scale increase in settlement building in the West Bank — widely considered a violation of international law — over the past year and plans to take over the Gaza Strip.
“Anyone in the world who tries to recognise a Palestinian state will get our answer on the ground,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also oversees settlements within Israel’s Defence Ministry, according to a transcript of a speech he gave at E1. “They’ll talk about a Palestinian dream, and we’ll keep building a Jewish reality.”
“After 20 years of hold-ups, pressure, election-eve promises and broken dreams — we stand here in Ma’ale Adumin and proclaim in a clear voice: the cork has been broken, the E1 project is under way,” said Smotrich, an ultranationalist settler, who in June was sanctioned by the UK for inciting violence against Palestinian communities. He said 3,401 homes would be built there.
Read Also: Tambuwal: I remain resolute, joining forces to reposition Nigeria
The West Bank-based administration of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the announcement. Along with the devastation in Gaza and recurrent violence by some settlers against Palestinians, it “will only lead to further escalation, tension and instability,” said Abbas spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
The U.S. in June imposed sanctions on members of the PA “for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,” a counter-action to moves from European countries toward recognsing a Palestinian state.
Alarmed by Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, which has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, several longtime Israeli allies — including France, the UK and Canada — are poised to recognize a Palestinian state during next month’s United Nations General Assembly.
Israel rules out Palestinian statehood and, backed by the US, has accused those countries of rewarding Hamas for the 7 October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the Gaza war.
Palestinians say any Israeli development of E1 would not only divide the West Bank but disrupt economic activity in and between their hub cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem.
But, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, visited the Qatari capital Doha yesterday for talks on resuming Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap negotiations with Hamas, Israeli media said.
According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, without giving further details.
U.S. news website Axios said the visit marked the highest-level contact between Israel and mediators since negotiations broke down in Doha three weeks ago.
The outlet said Barnea told Qatari officials that Israel is prepared to launch a military operation in Gaza City if there is no progress in the hostage talks soon.
The U.S., Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye are all involved in the mediation efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Axios also noted that a Hamas delegation recently visited Istanbul for talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, before traveling to Cairo to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad to discuss ways to resume the negotiations.
The Israeli Channel 13 claimed that Hamas is likely to present a new proposal for a Gaza ceasefire.
There was no comment from Hamas or Qatari officials on the Israeli report.
Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News channel, citing an Egyptian source, earlier said that Hamas was ready to “swiftly” return to the ceasefire negotiations with Israel.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 61,700 Palestinians.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement group, described the development as a done deal, requiring only the approval of an Israeli planning committee next week.
“In theory, Netanyahu could overturn this. But I doubt Smotrich would have made the announcement without knowing Netanyahu was on-side,” said Peace Now’s Hagit Ofran. “So the bulldozers may be starting work within days.”
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu, a conservative who in 2009 approved negotiations over a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Those US-sponsored talks stalled in 2014 and Netanyahu now opposes statehood — a position endorsed by the Israeli parliament last year.
Last month, parliament called for the Netanyahu government to annex West Bank settlement blocks. Supporters of annexation say Israelis have a right to remain permanently in the West Bank, which they