Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to postpone the discussion of a new controversial development plan for an area near Jerusalem called E1 the implementation of which would effectively divide the West Bank into two halves, Israeli media reported on Friday
TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2023) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to postpone the discussion of a new controversial development plan for an area near Jerusalem called E1 the implementation of which would effectively divide the West Bank into two halves, Israeli media reported on Friday.
The discussion was originally scheduled to take place next Tuesday.
Over the past two weeks, the United States and several European states have contacted Netanyahu's office and expressed their discontent with the construction plan, Israeli news website Walla reported, citing sources. Two Israeli high-ranking officials told the news website that Tel Aviv had informed Washington of the decision to postpone the discussion at the Israeli Civil Administration Higher Planning Committee, which issues permits to build settlements in the West Bank.
Over the past decades, the US and the European Union have pressured Israel to stop the development of the so-called E1 zone between Jerusalem and a large Israeli settlement Ma'ale Adumim on the West Bank. Plans to develop the area originally appeared in the mid-1990s, however the US and its allies have always opposed their implementation as they feared that these plans would prevent the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state.
In December 2012, in response to the UN approving Palestine's application for the status of a "non-member observer state to the UN," Israel, led by Netanyahu, announced that it was resuming construction planning in the E1 zone. However, the implementation of the plan has been consistently delayed under international pressure.
The plan to build more than 3,000 homes in the E1 zone east of Jerusalem has been described by critics as a "doomsday" settlement, because, if implemented, it would divide the West Bank into northern and southern regions and prevent the creation of an agglomeration linking East Jerusalem with Bethlehem and Ramallah. The Palestinians plan to make this agglomeration the basis of their prospective state.
Relations between Palestine and Israel have been adversarial since the latter's founding in 1948. Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition of their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity and builds settlements in the occupied areas despite objections from the United Nations.
