The Israeli government has moved forward with an internationally condemned settlement plan in the occupied West Bank that could divide the territory and “kill” the possibility of a two-state solution.
The Israeli Ministry of Housing has issued a notice inviting bids for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units in the Jerusalem suburb of E1, with the aim of forming a continuous block of Jewish settlements from East Jerusalem to the West Bank. The settlement would split the West Bank into north and south, making a contiguous Palestinian state impossible, while separating East Jerusalem, considered the capital, from the rest of the territory.
Construction bids are scheduled for a week before Israel’s elections at the end of October.
“This is a last-ditch operation that is part of the government’s scorched-earth policy at the end of its term to ensure Israel’s years of conflict and bloodshed,” Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said in a statement on Tuesday.
For years, Israel deliberately delayed planning and construction of E1 due to severe international criticism and pressure. However, the current Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has dramatically accelerated settlement approvals in the West Bank, even as Western countries have imposed sanctions on individuals associated with settler movements. In May, a number of Western countries, including Canada, Australia and Germany, warned companies not to participate in the construction of West Bank settlements and E1, citing “legal and reputational implications.”
Israel gave final approval to the E1 plan last year, with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying that “Palestinian statehood is being taken off the table not by slogans but by actions.”
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the decision to go ahead with the plan an “unacceptable and destructive act”. In a statement, the prime minister threatened sanctions and other measures in response, saying: “The UK will not back down and accept the destruction of the two-state solution.” In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar hit back on Thursday’s X show: “It’s ridiculous for Britain to lecture Jews about where they can live in their small, historic homeland.”
Although Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law by most of the international community and the United Nations, settlers have successfully established dozens of unauthorized outposts in recent years, eventually winning recognition from the Israeli government.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, said Israel’s decision to proceed with E1 construction was “extremely dangerous, irresponsible and threatening.” “This has to stop,” he said emphatically in an interview with CNN.
The Egyptian government also condemned Israel’s new bid and called on the international community to halt the project. “Egypt expresses its complete rejection of attempts to entrench a fait accompli policy through the illegal expansion of settlements and changes in the legal status and demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territories, which undermine the possibility of implementing a two-state solution,” the Egyptian government said in a statement.
