Israel's Smotrich to approve E1 settlement plan to 'bury Palestinian state'

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is advancing the highly controversial E1 settlement plan to build over 3,000 housing units in the occupied West Bank. He explicitly stated the project's goal is to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state," directly responding to Western nations planning to recognize Palestine. This construction aims to connect the Maale Adumim settlement with occupied East Jerusalem, a move historically blocked by international pressure. Critics warn the plan will fragment Palestinian land by severing the southern West Bank from the north, making a contiguous state impossible.