Israeli Right Wing Minister Expands Settlements In West Bank To Answer Palestinian State Recognition

Bezalel Smotrich. (Wikimedia Commons/Yellowman4800)

JAKARTA - Israel's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich launched a long-delayed expansion of settlements in the West Bank, dividing the West Bank and separating it from East Jerusalem, a move his office said would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.

Standing at the planned settlement site in Maale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, who is also a settlers, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had approved construction in an area called E1, although there had been no direct confirmation of the two.

"Anyone in the world who tries to recognize the Palestinian state today will receive our answers in the field. Not with documents, decisions, or statements, but with facts. House facts, settlement facts," Smotrich said.

Israel frozen development plans in Maale Adumim in 2012, and once again after being revived in 2020, amid objections from the US, European allies, and other powers that see the project as a threat to a future peace agreement with Palestine.

Re-engaging the project could further isolate Israel, which has witnessed some of its Western allies condemning its military offensive in Gaza and announcing it may recognize the Palestinian state.

Palestinians fear the construction of settlements in the West Bank - which has increased sharply since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war - will seize their opportunity to build their own country in the region.

In a statement entitled "Eroding the Idea of the Palestinian State," a Smotrich spokesman said the minister had approved the plan to build 3,401 houses for Israeli settlers among settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

In Maale Adumim, Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the ruling far-right coalition and has long fought Israel's sovereignty over the West Bank, told Reuters the plan would take effect on Wednesday.

Separately, Peace Now, which tracks residential activity in the West Bank, said there were still several steps needed before construction, but infrastructure work could begin in a few months, and housing construction in about a year.

"The E1 plan is very dangerous for Israel's future and for any opportunity to achieve a peaceful two-state solution. We stand on the brink, and the government pushes us forward at full speed," Peace Now said in a statement.

The Israeli government has successively started, approved, planned, and funded settlements, according to Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.

Some settlers moved to the West Bank for religious or ideological reasons, while others were attracted by lower housing costs and government incentives. They include dual American and European nationals.

Israel cites historical and alkitabiah ties with the region, saying settlements provide strategic depth and security.

Most global communities consider all illegal settlements according to international law. Most of the world's powers say the expansion of settlements has eroded the feasibility of a two-state solution, in which Palestine (covers East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza) coexist with Israel.

Last June, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand imposed sanctions in June against their right-wing Smotrich, Minister of Security Nasial Itamar Ben-Gvir, accusing the two of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

It is known that a number of countries have announced plans to recognize the Palestinian State at the UN General Assembly next month. France, Britain, Canada and Australia are countries that will recognize the Palestinian State. A total of 147 of the 193 UN member states have recognized the Palestinian State.