Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced he will be approving tenders for the construction of the long-halted controversial E1 housing project situated between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank, Israeli media outlet Ynet reported.
The plans have been frozen for decades due to the opposition of the international community, who fear the neighborhood would create a geographic barrier that would break up a Palestinian state by splitting the West Bank into two seperate regions.
According to the report, Smotrich did not deny this claim, saying it was the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for the idea of a Palestinian state.
“From the Palestinian perspective and that of the international community, this is a critical area. Without it, the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital is simply impossible,” he added.
“Approval of construction plans in E1 buries the idea of a Palestinian state and continues the many steps we are taking on the ground as part of the de facto sovereignty plan that we began implementing with the establishment of the government,” Smotrich said.
Ynet added that despite Smotrich’s announcment, there still has been no official confirmation regarding the approval of the plan, and that other housing projects, that were also heavily launched, have been delayed for years.
Though the approved plans include 3,401 housing units in the E1 area, according to the Peace Now settlement watchdog organization, they are not the original E1 plans but rather for a seperate neighborhood of Ma’ale Adumim.
“After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem. This is Zionism at its best — building, settling, and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel,” Smotrich said in a statement.
According to the report, Smotrich announced he will be holding a press conference Thursday, along with Yesha Council Chairman Israel Ganz and Ma’aleh Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach, to present the plan.