Israel’s far-right extremist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, triggered worldwide condemnation this week after announcing that Israel will be building a new illegal settlement comprised of thousands of housing units in the occupied West Bank.
Himself a settler, Smotrich added the project will be made up of 3,401 new houses in the E1 area near the existing Ma’ale Adumim settlement, which lies between Jerusalem and the Palestinian city of Jericho.
He has also boasted that the new project will end any prospect of a two state solution, amid outrage from international organisations and rights groups.
An attempt to crush hopes of a Palestinian state
In his announcement, Smotrich noted that the project will “eliminate the idea of a Palestinian state” and said the latest settlement is part of the “de facto sovereignty plan” which he says the Israeli government is implementing. ….more
