Israel approves controversial settlement expansion plan: Minister celebrates that the measure 'finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state'

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the approval of a plan on Thursday to build thousands of new homes between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, which would isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied West Bank.

We are on the brink of an abyss, and the Government is moving forward at full speed.

"This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognize and no one to recognize," the minister said today at a ceremony announcing the housing plan.

For years, Israeli authorities have refused to implement the project, known as E1, due to pressure from the international community, which fears that settlement expansion would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

However, since Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in 2022 at the head of an unprecedented coalition with the far right, the main proponents of the colonization of the Palestinian territories, the Israeli government has approved an unprecedented number of new settlements and land confiscations.

"This is not just a building plan, it's a resounding Zionist message: a united Jerusalem is our eternal capital, and Ma'ale Adumim is an inseparable part of it," Smotrich said at the event, in statements shared by his office.

The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now explained in a statement Thursday that the subcommittee charged with reviewing appeals against the plan rejected all requests last night, giving the green light for its approval by the military office in charge of managing new settlements.

The construction plan still needs approval from military authorities, which is expected to happen as early as next Wednesday.

"We are on the brink of an abyss, and the government is pushing it forward at full speed," the organization denounced.

Smotrich's plan calls for the construction of more than 3,000 homes in the area and also includes the development of a new road to separate Palestinian and Israeli traffic and connect the West Bank town of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, with Ramallah in the north, bypassing the holy city.

In his message, the minister thanked US President Donald Trump for his support and called on Netanyahu to "enforce Israeli sovereignty" in the West Bank to ensure that "Europe's hypocritical leaders have nothing to recognize" in September, when several countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, are expected to officially recognize the Palestinian state.