Uncovering the Dangerous “E1” Project in Jerusalem
The Israeli cabinet on Wednesday formally endorsed the settlement plan in the area called E1 in East Jerusalem, according to the English service of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and Russia Al-Youm. This plan had been repeatedly halted since the 1990s due to international opposition, especially from the United States.
According to Peace Now, a movement that monitors settlement activities, this approval came at an unprecedented pace. It includes constructing over 3,401 new housing units and establishing a new settlement named “Ish Ahal” with 342 units designed alongside public facilities.
Peace Now warned that implementing the E1 project will effectively split the west Bank into two separate parts. It will obstruct progress of a vital corridor connecting Ramallah, Bethlehem, and East Jerusalem. The organization described it as “a deadly blow to any prospect for peace and an independent Palestinian state.”
Last week, Betzalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, stated that the E1 project would connect Ma’ale Adumim settlement directly to Jerusalem while severing geographic continuity between Palestinian areas around Ramallah and Bethlehem-a move he called “the final nail in the coffin” for a Palestinian state.
Prime Minister benjamin Netanyahu previously attempted to advance this plan in 2012 and 2020 but faced strong international resistance blocking its implementation. However,this year Israel’s cabinet has also authorized construction of more than 24,000 additional housing units,which experts say aims at completely dismantling any chance for a two-state solution.
The Jerusalem Governorate responded by warning that expanding Ma’ale Adumim and linking it with jerusalem would isolate northern from southern parts of the city. It would further enclose Palestinian villages and settlements nearby into isolated enclaves surrounded by Israeli-controlled territory.
