How Israel is expanding settlements in drive to reshape West Bank

Last September, during a ceremony at a settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, made clear his intentions. He declared that there would be no Palestinian state and that the land belonged to Israel. This statement marked the beginning of a push to expand the settlement in an area known as E1, located just east of Jerusalem.

Recently, tenders have been opened for the construction of approximately 1,200 settlement homes on this strategically important land, leading to widespread condemnation. The United Nations Secretary-General described the plans as posing an "existential threat" to a future Palestinian state, while the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada condemned the plans as "unacceptable" and a move that would "drive a wedge through the West Bank".

This has been welcomed by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, who urged the signatories to take concrete measures to halt the implementation of the E1 plan. Despite international law prohibiting settlements in occupied land, the number of Israelis living in the West Bank has increased, with about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews built since 1967.

The speed of settlement construction has notably increased since 2022, particularly under Netanyahu's right-wing, pro-settler coalition, following the start of the Gaza war. One example is Tzofim, a settlement in the northwest of the territory, where construction of around 185 new buildings has been observed since 2022. The E1 settlement, in particular, is contentious as it is proposed to divide the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory and preventing the development of a contiguous Palestinian urban area connecting Ramallah, East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.

The Israeli government has been actively expanding the administrative control of the West Bank, appointing Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister, to lead this effort. This shift has led to an increase in roads connecting settlements to Palestinian towns and villages, further fragmenting the territory. Additionally, there has been a rise in settler violence against Palestinians in recent months, with two Palestinian homes recently besieged by settlers.

All these developments have fueled fears among Palestinians and supporters of Palestinian statehood that the "facts on the ground" will render a Palestinian state unviable.