Israel approves controversial West Bank settlement, hindering two-state solution

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Israel has given final approval to build thousands of new homes in the occupied West Bank, a move critics will bury the chances of a Palestinian state.

The so-called E1 settlement project has been on the drawing board for more than two decades, but pressure from the U.S. and other nations prevented it from becoming a reality — until now. The controversial development, which involves more than 3,400 housing units, will be built on a tract of land east of Jerusalem, effectively slicing the West Bank in two.

The Palestinian authority called the development illegal and said it would destroy the chance of a two-state solution. Israel’s ultra-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who approved the plans, said the E1 settlements will “erase” any notion of a Palestinian state.