Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
In a move likely to further inflame tensions across the region, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced what he described as a “historic program” to dramatically expand settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. The initiative includes the construction of over 3,400 new housing units in the contentious area between the Ma’ale Adumim settlement and East Jerusalem a project that critics warn could deal a death blow to any future Palestinian state.
Speaking at a press conference, Smotrich framed the plan as both a political and ideological milestone, declaring: “The West Bank is part of the Land of Israel by divine promise. It is time to impose full Israeli sovereignty and end forever the notion of partitioning the Land of Israel.”
The project, delayed for nearly two decades, will involve the expropriation of thousands of dunams (acres) of Palestinian land and investments amounting to billions of shekels, aimed at absorbing up to one million additional settlers in the West Bank. The new construction will cut through the Palestinian towns of Al-Eizariya and Abu Dis, just seven kilometers east of Jerusalem an area deemed critical to the geographical contiguity of any future Palestinian capital.
Smotrich, a far-right member of the ruling coalition, emphasized that the plan is being executed with the full support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and claimed that “friends in the United States” are also backing the move.
“Every New House Is a Declaration of Sovereignty”
“Every home we build here is not just concrete, it is a declaration of Israeli sovereignty,” Smotrich said. “Every new neighborhood is a strategic anchor.”
The minister also delivered a fiery rejection of the two-state solution, calling it a threat to Israel’s existence. “A Palestinian state is a suicide note for Israel. It is a danger to the Jewish state the only one in the world,” he said.
Smotrich’s rhetoric echoes the longstanding ideology of parts of Israel’s settler movement, which views the entire West Bank referred to in religious-nationalist terms as Judea and Samaria as inalienable Jewish land.
Planned Settlement Seen as “Final Nail” in Two-State Coffin
The proposed expansion in Ma’ale Adumim, which includes 3,401 new housing units, is widely regarded as one of the most geopolitically sensitive areas in the West Bank. Often referred to as the E1 zone, the area’s development has been strongly opposed by the international community, as it would effectively bisect the West Bank, isolating East Jerusalem from its Palestinian hinterlands and severing the territorial continuity between Ramallah and Bethlehem.
Smotrich did not shy away from this perception. “This plan will be the final nail in the coffin of the Palestinian state,” he told reporters. “Without control over this corridor, the dream of a capital in East Jerusalem is simply impossible.”
International and Local Backlash
Peace advocacy groups and international observers quickly condemned the announcement. The Israeli organization Peace Now called the plan “a knockout blow to the two-state solution,” arguing that such unilateral actions risk irreversibly entrenching a one-state reality marked by inequality and perpetual conflict.
“This is not just a housing plan,” the group warned in a statement. “It is a geopolitical maneuver that could shatter any remaining hope for a peaceful resolution.”
While the announcement was delivered with confidence, Israeli media outlets such as Ynet cautioned that the plan may still face delays or bureaucratic hurdles, as has happened with previous settlement projects publicized by successive Israeli governments.
Smotrich on Gaza: No to Partial Solutions
In addition to the West Bank announcement, Smotrich addressed the situation in Gaza, reiterating hardline positions. He called for the complete eradication of Hamas and advocated for the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in the Strip, from which Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005.
“We must finish the mission in Gaza. We cannot settle for partial hostage deals or half-measures,” he said. “Reclaiming territory in Gaza is essential for Israel’s long-term security.”
A Precarious Political Crossroads
Smotrich’s declarations mark a significant acceleration in Israel’s shift away from negotiations with the Palestinians, further deepening the entrenchment of a one-state reality under de facto Israeli control from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
The announcement also comes amid increasing international concern over the viability of a two-state solution, which has long served as the cornerstone of Western policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
With hundreds of thousands of Israelis already living in settlements across the West Bank, considered illegal under international law, this latest expansion may not only escalate tensions on the ground but could also invite diplomatic consequences, particularly from allies who continue to support a negotiated settlement to the decades-long conflict.
For now, Smotrich and his allies appear undeterred, positioning this project as the first step in a broader strategy to permanently redefine Israel’s borders not through peace agreements, but through facts on the ground.
