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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/widespread-condemnations-erupt-over-smotrich-s-e1-settlement">english.almayadeen.net</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Widespread condemnations erupt over Smotrich's E1 settlement plan</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Mayadeen English</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">August 14, 2025</div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>Palestinian
factions and international actors condemn Bezalel Smotrich\u2019s E1
settlement plan, which aims to sever the West Bank and derail
Palestinian statehood.</p><div><ul id="gmail-content-slick-0"><div aria-hidden="false"><li>
<a href="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/8/14/430c5abc-eb62-4b57-87d7-b32198f82ffb.jpg?v=3&width=1000" tabindex="0"><img src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/8/14/430c5abc-eb62-4b57-87d7-b32198f82ffb.jpg?v=3&width=1000&preset=w700" alt="Smotrich Condemnations" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img"></a>
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a map that
shows the E1 settlement project during a press conference near the
settlement of Maale Adumim, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Thursday,
August 14, 2025. (<em>AP </em>Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
</li></div></ul>
<p>As Western states prepare to recognize the State of Palestine <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/australia-to-recognize-a-palestinian-state--albanese-confirm">in September</a>,
the Israeli government is pursuing plans to further the occupation of
the West Bank, rendering any possibility of the formation of a
Palestinian state impossible. </p>
<p>"Israel's" Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has officially advanced the <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/smotrich-approves-settlement-plans-to--bury-the-palestinian">controversial E1 settlement project</a>,
a long-stalled construction plan that threatens to permanently alter
the geographic and political landscape of the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>The plan includes over 3,400 <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--defies-law--approves-22-illegal-west-bank-settlemen">settlement units</a>
connecting the illegal settlement of "Ma'ale Adumim" to occupied
al-Quds, effectively severing the West Bank into two, and blocking any
possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.</p>
<p><span>E1, or "East 1," is a 12-square-kilometer area between occupied
al-Quds and the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. For years,
international opposition kept the project frozen, due to its grave
implications for Palestinian statehood and violations of international
law. The <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icj---israel--is-an-occupation-power-violating-international">International Court of Justice</a> ruled in 2024 that all settlement activities in the West Bank and East al-Quds violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/smotrich-says-lost-faith-in-netanyahu-over--half-measure--ga">Smotrich</a>
did not conceal the motive behind the plan, declaring, "This will bury
the idea of a Palestinian state," calling it the "final nail in the
coffin" of any idea of a Palestinian State. He emphasized that the plan
was developed in full coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and with support from the US.</p>
<p>Smotrich's announcement to begin the construction of E1 <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/netanyahu-smotrich-deal--new-settlements-in-exchange-for-gaz">settlements</a> sparked outrage in occupied Palestine and beyond.</p>
<h2>Palestinian condemnations</h2>
<p>Presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned Smotrich's
move, affirming that all settlement activity is illegal under
international law. He warned that these plans, combined with the ongoing
genocidal campaign, will only fuel further instability. Abu Rudeineh
also drew a direct link between this expansionist policy and Netanyahu\u2019s
recent statements invoking the idea of "Greater Israel."</p>
<h3>Hamas: A colonial plan of ethnic cleansing</h3>
<p><a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hamas-urges-end-of-gaza-massacres--ethnic-cleansing-of-north">Hamas</a>
warned that Smotrich\u2019s plan aims to isolate al-Quds from its
Palestinian surroundings and block any future Palestinian state. It
called the move part of a broader effort to displace Palestinians and
annex their lands under a fascist Zionist agenda. Hamas described the
plan as a genocidal tool and urged all Palestinian factions to mobilize
in resistance.</p>
<h3>PFLP: A Talmudic Zionist project to erase Palestine</h3>
<p>The <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/in-high-level-meeting-with-pflp--iran-reaffirms-support-for">Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine</a>
(PFLP) described the E1 project as a declaration of war on Palestinian
territory. It asserted that Netanyahu\u2019s government has fully adopted
extremist religious Zionism and is driving an agenda of annexation and
forced displacement. The group called on the Palestinian leadership to
abandon reliance on negotiations and adopt a unified national resistance
strategy.</p>
<h3>DFLP: Netanyahu exposes the Zionist project\u2019s true face</h3>
<p>The <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/dflp-warns-icc-prosecutor-of--equating-executioner-and-victi">Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine</a>
(DFLP) condemned Netanyahu\u2019s statements and UN speech that omitted the
West Bank from the map, interpreting them as confirmation of a plan to
complete the occupation and annexation of all Palestinian land. The DFLP
credited the Resistance in Gaza for gaining international recognition
of Palestine and denounced calls to disarm as surrender to occupation.
It also called for strengthening popular resistance to counter the
ongoing annexation.</p>
<h3>Resistance Committees: Call for uprising</h3>
<p>The Resistance Committees in Palestine described Smotrich\u2019s plan as a
colonial blueprint designed to bring in a million new settlers,
confiscate thousands of dunums, and erase any prospects for Palestinian
sovereignty. They called on Palestinians in the West Bank, al-Quds, and
1948 territories to launch a widespread uprising to thwart Zionist
ambitions and defend Palestinian land.</p>
<h2>Jordan condemns</h2>
<p>Jordan\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a scathing condemnation
of the plan, calling it a blatant attack on Palestinian rights and a
severe breach of international law. Spokesperson Sufyan Al-Qudah
reaffirmed Jordan's categorical rejection of Israeli control over
occupied land, emphasizing the plan\u2019s danger to regional peace and the
"Two-State solution."</p>
<h2>European Commission condemns</h2>
<p>The European Commission also voiced its opposition, declaring that the annexation of parts of the <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pastoral-settlement--new-weapon-for-displacement-in-west-ban">West Bank</a>
by "Israel" is illegal under international law. A spokesperson
reiterated the EU's firm stance against the displacement and eviction of
Palestinians, emphasizing that such measures jeopardize the prospects
for peace and a viable "Two-State solution." The Commission urged
"Israel" to halt all settlement activity immediately.</p>
<h2>International law and the E1 plan</h2>
<p>The E1 settlement project continues to draw international
condemnation. The International Court of Justice has unequivocally
stated that all settlements in occupied territories are illegal. The
project is seen by legal experts, diplomats, and rights groups as a
decisive blow to the "Two-state solution" and a tool for forced
demographic change.</p>
<p>Despite this, "Israel" presses forward, emboldened by US backing and
internal political consensus. As the situation escalates, Palestinian
Resistance, both institutional and grassroots, remains steadfast in its
opposition, framing the E1 project as an existential threat to the
Palestinian national cause.</p></div></div></div>
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