New Israeli Settlements to Be Built Amid Palestinian Statehood Efforts

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has approved the construction of new Israeli settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River. The news was reported by the Interfax agency.

The Finance Minister announced the construction of 3,401 new apartments near Ma'ale Adumim and an additional 3,515 in a neighboring area, thereby restarting the long-blocked E1 project, which critics regard as a strategic barrier to the establishment of a future Palestinian state.

The report states that this move signals Israel's intention to assert de facto sovereignty over the West Bank. The E1 project covers an area of approximately 12 square kilometers, located between the eastern part of Jerusalem and the Arab town of Al-Ezariya on the West Bank. The aim of the project is to construct housing that will connect the Israeli settlements of Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem, thus expanding Israeli territory around East Jerusalem.

The international community views the project as an obstacle to the peace process and the creation of a Palestinian state.