Israel Advances Controversial Settlement Plan in Occupied West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 11, 2025, signed final approval for the controversial E1 settlement plan, authorizing the construction of over 3,400 new housing units in the occupied West Bank between Ma’ale Adumim and East Jerusalem. The plan, celebrated by Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a ceremony in Ma’ale Adumim, is designed to link major Israeli settlements and effectively bisect the West Bank, isolating Palestinian communities and making a contiguous Palestinian state nearly impossible, according to multiple regional and international observers.

Netanyahu declared at the signing, “There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours,” underscoring the government’s intent to entrench Israeli control over the territory. The E1 plan, first conceived in the late 1990s but repeatedly stalled due to international opposition, has long been viewed as a red line by the global community. Its implementation comes as several Western governments, including France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, have signaled support for recognizing Palestinian statehood, and as the United Nations General Assembly recently endorsed a declaration charting a path toward a two-state solution.

The expansion is part of a broader umbrella agreement allocating 3 billion shekels (about $800 million) for infrastructure and development in Ma’ale Adumim and E1, aiming to double the settlement’s population and further integrate it with Jerusalem. Critics, including Israeli NGOs and Palestinian rights groups, warn that the move formalizes de facto annexation and deepens what they describe as an apartheid regime, with the West Bank increasingly fragmented into isolated Palestinian enclaves surrounded by Israeli-controlled areas.

International law considers all Israeli settlements in occupied territory illegal, a position reiterated by the United Nations and most world governments. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the E1 expansion poses an “existential threat” to a viable Palestinian state. The plan’s approval also coincides with a surge in Israeli military raids and mass detentions in West Bank cities, following a deadly attack in Jerusalem earlier this week, further escalating tensions on the ground.

While Israeli officials frame the settlement expansion as a matter of national security and heritage, Palestinian leaders and much of the international community see it as a deliberate effort to undermine peace efforts and the two-state solution. The move has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations, who document rising settler violence and the displacement of Palestinian communities as a result of ongoing settlement activity.

The Israeli government’s actions come amid mounting diplomatic pressure and shifting international attitudes, with the recent UN declaration and growing calls for Palestinian statehood highlighting the deepening divide between Israel’s policies and global consensus. As the E1 project moves forward, the prospects for renewed negotiations and a peaceful resolution to the conflict appear increasingly remote.