⭕️ NEW: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he has approved ~3,400 settlement housing units in the highly contentious “E1” zone between East Jerusalem and Ma‘ale Adumim — a move he says will “bury the idea of a Palestinian state” and is “Zionism at its best.” Reviving this decades-frozen project would sever the West Bank in two, destroying territorial continuity for a viable Palestinian state and further undermining any two-state solution. Key Details: ➤ E1 would physically and politically isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, cutting off Palestinian urban centers like Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron. ➤ All settlements in the West Bank, including E1, are illegal under international law. The US, EU, UN, and others have long opposed E1 construction. ➤ It targets 12 km² of Palestinian land and is part of a broader far-right push for “de facto sovereignty” over occupied territory without formal annexation.