Overview

• Smotrich approved plans overnight to build 3,401 homes for Israeli settlers in the strategically placed E1 corridor between East Jerusalem and a West Bank settlement.
• The E1 scheme was frozen in 2012 after US and European governments objected to its threat to a contiguous Palestinian territory.
• Smotrich’s office described the decision as an effort to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state" by integrating the corridor into Israel’s urban framework.
• The approval continues a trend of granting West Bank administrative powers to far-right ministers to expedite settlement expansion.
• Smotrich is scheduled to hold a press conference about the plan, while Prime Minister Netanyahu’s formal endorsement remains unclear.