Overview

• The Civil Administration’s planning committee on Aug. 20 approved roughly 3,400–3,500 housing units on the E1 tract next to Ma'ale Adumim.
• E1 sits on one of the last corridors linking Ramallah and Bethlehem, and critics warn the project would bisect the West Bank and sever access to East Jerusalem.
• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hailed the decision as “erasing” the idea of a Palestinian state and vowed to answer recognition efforts with construction on the ground.
• The United Nations and several Western governments reiterated that settlements violate international law and said the move would kill prospects for a two-state outcome.
• During the same meeting, authorities also approved about 350 homes in Ashael (Asael) near Hebron, with advocacy groups saying work in E1 could start within months and housing next year.