Israeli Settlement Expansion Near East Jerusalem Sparks International Condemnation

Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced on Thursday that a plan to significantly expand a settlement near occupied East Jerusalem had received approval, claiming it would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. The plan proposes constructing approximately 3,400 new housing units in key Israeli-occupied territory. However, final approval is still pending a procedural step by the Supreme Planning Council, which typically releases decisions days or weeks after meetings without issuing public statements.

The announcement comes during growing international efforts to recognize Palestinian statehood. Australia, Britain, Canada, France, and other nations recently pledged to recognize a Palestinian state as part of attempts to revive negotiations on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Addressing journalists and settlement leaders in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Smotrich said, “This plan buries the idea of a Palestinian state. Anyone in the world today who tries to recognize a Palestinian state will receive an answer from us on the ground. Not in documents, not in decisions or declarations, but in facts.”

Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, echoed Smotrich’s remarks in a recent interview, dismissing the two-state solution as “an illusion” and suggesting that it has become a problematic slogan in international diplomacy.

The announcement prompted swift international backlash. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned both the proposed expansion and Smotrich’s comments, describing them as “extremist racist statements” and “a flagrant violation of international law.” The ministry emphasized that the move threatens the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to establish an independent, sovereign state based on the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israeli organization Peace Now, which monitors settlement expansions, reported that a subcommittee handling settlement planning had rejected all objections to the proposal earlier this month. The group noted that a final approval hearing is scheduled for next week, proceeding “in record speed.”

The expansion plan adds to the already tense atmosphere in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, raising concerns about the viability of a future Palestinian state and further complicating prospects for peace in the region.