The Minister of Finance of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, announced on Wednesday (13) that approved a new settlement plan that would separate East Jerusalem, that the Palestinians claim as their capital of the West Bank.
“The plan will bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” said Smotrich, according to information from The Jerusalem Post.
The minister stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed with the resumption of the so-called E1 venture, but the two leaders did not confirm the information for now.
“From the Palestinian perspective and the international community, this is a critical area. Without it, the establishment of an East Jerusalem state as capital is simply impossible,” said Smotrich.
The plan presented by the minister provides for the construction of 3,401 new housing units in the Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, located in the West Bank.
“The approval of construction in the area of E1 Mina The idea of a Palestinian state and is part of the broadest measures we are taking as part of our fact sovereignty plan, which began with the formation of this government. After decades of international pressure and project suspension, we are challenging conventions and consolidating the connection between Ma’aleh Adumim and Jerusalem,” added Smotrich.
The terrorist group Hamas criticized the plan announced by the Minister of Finance. “This criminal plan reveals the true face of the Zionist government as an extremist colonial government who only understands the language of murder, genocide, displacement and land confiscation,” Hamas said in a statement, according to EFE.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujaric has asked the plan to be “reviewed.” “[Os assentamentos na Cisjordânia e em Jerusalém Oriental] They violate international law, consolidate occupation and further obstruct the prospect of a two -state solution, ”he said.
In late May, Smotrich had announced that the Israeli government approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which, according to the PEACE NOW NGO, will be the greatest expansion since the 1993 Oslo agreements, which started negotiations for the establishment of two abandoned states.
In June, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway announced sanctions against Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli National Security Minister, who were prohibited from entering these countries and had blocked goods on the grounds that both incite Palestinians violence in West Bank.
At the time, Smotrich said that the UK “already tried once to prevent us from colonizing the crib of our homeland, and we cannot let it happen again” – in reference to the period between the 1930s and 40s when Jewish migration to the region was restricted by the British Palestine mandate.
