Smotrich Moves to 'Bury' Palestinian Statehood With E1 Settlement Plan

The proposal targets a strategic stretch of land intended to link Jerusalem with the Maale Adumim settlement, a project long stalled by international outcry and legal hurdles. If finalized by Israel's High Planning Council next week, the move would effectively bisect the West Bank, severing Palestinian communities from one another and isolating Jerusalem. Smotrich framed the expansion as a victory for sovereignty, asserting that any global efforts to recognize Palestinian statehood will be met with firm opposition on the ground.

While the White House has declined to confirm Smotrich’s claims of specific backing for the E1 project, the administration has notably distanced itself from the traditional two-state solution framework. Meanwhile, rights groups and international observers have sounded the alarm. The Israeli organization Peace Now characterized the government’s actions as a reckless drive toward an abyss, while researcher Aviv Tatarsky of Ir Amim warned that the plan functions as a de facto announcement of apartheid that threatens the displacement of over a dozen Palestinian communities.

International reaction has been swift, with the Palestinian foreign ministry condemning the scheme as an escalation of annexation and displacement. This development follows a series of sanctions imposed by nations including the U.K., Canada, and Australia against Smotrich for his role in rising West Bank violence. Despite these diplomatic pressures, Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, emphasized that symbolic recognition of Palestine remains insufficient without concrete action to end the ongoing blockade and military operations in Gaza.