August 21, 2025 | 02:38 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Israeli government has once again sparked controversy after approving the large-scale E1 settlement project in the West Bank. According to reports from CNA, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced last week that the project had received approval, and on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the Ministry of Defense's planning commission gave final approval.
The plan includes approximately 3,400 new housing units near Maale Adumim. The monitoring group Peace Now stated that infrastructure construction could begin within a few months, while housing construction could take about a year.
Project to Divide the West Bank
As reported by TRT Global, the E1 project will divide the occupied West Bank into two, separating Ramallah and Nablus in the north from Bethlehem and Hebron in the south, and isolating the area from East Jerusalem. The project had previously been frozen in 2012 and 2020 due to rejection by the United States and several European countries.
Smotrich, a figure in the right-wing coalition known for his ultra-nationalist views, referred to this step as historic. He emphasized, "With E1 we are delivering finally on what has been promised for years. The Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions."
During his visit to the Ofra settlement last Sunday, Smotrich stated that for the past 25 years, he has been determined to use every means to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and to stop efforts to remove Israel from that territory. "Thank God, what I promised, we have delivered," he exclaimed.
In addition to E1, the Israeli Civil Administration's settlement subcommittee also approved the construction of 342 new housing units in the Asahel settlement, between eastern and western Hebron.
Criticism of the E1 Project
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's decision on Wednesday, August 20, stating that the project would isolate Palestinian communities and damage the prospects for a two-state solution.
A spokesperson for the German government also emphasized that settlement construction violates international law and impedes the two-state solution, as well as ending Israel's occupation of the West Bank. The reactivation of the E1 project is seen as potentially further isolating Israel. Several Western countries have been considering recognizing the state of Palestine at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September.
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