Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced at a press conference the final approval of the controversial E1 settlement project in the West Bank. The minister called it a "historic" decision, which would effectively divide the West Bank in two, preventing the creation of a united Palestinian state .
The project calls for the construction of approximately 3,400 housing units between Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma'ale Adumim: the final green light came from the Higher Planning Commission of the Civil Administration, a department of the Ministry of Defense.
The approval represents, said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, "a significant step that practically erases the illusion of two states and consolidates the Jewish people's hold on the heart of the Land of Israel." He added: "The Palestinian state is being removed from the table not with slogans, but with facts. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea."
(Unioneonline)
