Smotrich rejects Palestinian statehood with E1 settlement expansion
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that the advancement of the settlement project in the E1 area means he will not allow the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank while he remains in the cabinet.
According to Palestine’s Sama news agency, Smotrich wrote that he was “proud” of pushing ahead with construction in the area and claimed the move would eliminate the option of establishing a Palestinian state.
He also claimed that no Palestinian state would be formed in the West Bank during his time in the Israeli cabinet.
The so-called E1 plan, approved by Israel last year, further separates a large part of the Palestinian areas east of Jerusalem, which are under Israeli occupation and annexation, from the West Bank. The area is considered one of the sensitive points in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as any construction there has a direct impact on the geographic continuity of Palestinian territory.
