Israel Approves West Bank Settlement Plan Dividing Territory, Undermining Two-State Viability

Israel has given final approval to a contentious settlement construction plan in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, greenlighting approximately 3,400 to 3,500 housing units and effectively dividing the West Bank by linking Ma’ale Adumim with Jerusalem. This move is widely condemned by the international community, including the European Union, United Nations, and Germany, as violating international law and threatening the viability of a future Palestinian state and the two-state solution. Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich celebrated the approval, stating that the Palestinian state is being erased through actions rather than slogans, and vowed to continue expanding settlements. Critics warn that the plan would sever territorial continuity between major Palestinian cities like Ramallah and Bethlehem, severely undermining Palestinian statehood prospects. The project has been stalled for decades but was revived under Israel's current hardline government, despite global opposition and warnings that settlement expansion fuels conflict and diminishes Palestinian freedoms. The approval coincides with a broader increase in settlement activity and heightened tensions in the region amid ongoing violence.