JPOST
Israel resumes construction of settlement project that would divide West Bank
Pesach Benson
August 20, 2025

Israel’s Civil Administration approved major construction projects in West Bank, marking a significant expansion in Ma’aleh Adumim in an area known as E1 and the recognition of a new community in Asahel south of Hebron. The E1 plan, long delayed, will add approximately 3,400 housing units, while Ashahel’s project includes 342 units along with public buildings and infrastructure. Finance and Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who led both initiatives, described the approvals as “historical facts on the ground,” calling them a defining moment for settlement, security, and the State of Israel. “Today we are finally realizing what has been promised for years in E1,” Smotrich said, adding that the developments represent concrete steps toward full Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. READ MORE

I24NEWS 21 nations condemn Israel’s settlement project, urging immediate reversal 21 countries, including several of Israel’s closest allies, issued a joint statement Thursday condemning Israel’s approval of a major settlement project in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem [kind of like Hillary Clinton chastising Israel in 2012].  The foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom signed the statement, calling the move “unacceptable” and “a violation of international law.”

REUTERS Israel approves settlement plan to erase idea of Palestinian state A widely condemned Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state received final approval on Wednesday, according to a statement from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The approval of the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, was announced last week by Smotrich and received the final go-ahead from a Defence Ministry planning commission on Wednesday, he said.