France's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the approval by an Israeli planning commission of a project to build settlements in the E1 area east of Jerusalem is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of international law.

E1 project aims to split West Bank into 2 parts, cutting off northern cities of Ramallah and Nablus from Bethlehem and Hebron in south - Anadolu Ajansı

In Al Eizariya, Mohammed Faroun sleeps on the floor of his shuttered café, waiting for Israeli bulldozers. His business, like thousands of others, stands in the way of a new highway and the E1 settlement expansion east of Jerusalem,

Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations. Palestinians and rights groups say that if the proposals go ahead it could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state.

The post Planning body gives final approval to controversial E1 West Bank settlement project appeared first on The Times of Israel.

In a reversal of past US policy, the State Department backed the E1 project connecting Maale Adumim to Jerusalem, calling it essential to Israel’s stability and regional peace.

The E1 corridor, connecting Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim, is a vital buffer against the encirclement of Israel’s capital by a hostile Palestinian entity.The post The E1 battle: Why Israel can’t