Israel has announced plans to build thousands of new housing units in the occupied West Bank, sparking outrage among Palestinians and international community leaders. The move is seen as a major blow to the two-state solution and a permanent obstacle to Palestinian statehood.
According to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the construction will “permanently bury” the idea of a Palestinian state. The government’s plans include building 3,401 new housing units in the E1 settlement project, which would connect Jerusalem to the nearby Maale Adumim settlement and split the West Bank in half.
The Israeli settler movement is celebrating the move, while Palestinians and international community leaders are condemning it as a “systemic plan to steal land” and an attempt to impose biblical facts on the conflict. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has urged Israel to halt the plans, saying they “further undermine the two-state solution”.
The move is considered illegal under international law, with the United Nations declaring Jewish settlements in occupied territory a “flagrant violation” of international law and having “no legal validity”. However, the US government’s stance on the issue remains ambiguous.
Meanwhile, Israel has not rejected any prospect of Palestinian statehood, despite categorically rejecting it. The government has instead proposed the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as a potential solution to the conflict.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/14/middleeast/settlement-plan-israel-palestinian-state-intl