Overview

• At a ceremony in Ma'ale Adumim, Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to advance the E1 expansion and stated, "there will be no Palestinian state."
• The plan foresees roughly 3,400 homes on about 12 square kilometers between East Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim, with new roads and infrastructure upgrades.
• Israel’s Higher Planning Committee granted final approval in August, and Peace Now says site works could begin within months with housing construction within about a year.
• The UN and several Western governments, including Britain, France and Germany, condemned the move as illegal under international law, while some countries prepare UN recognition of Palestinian statehood this month.
• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said building in E1 would bury the idea of a Palestinian state, as the Palestinian Authority reiterated that statehood with East Jerusalem as its capital remains the path to peace.