Israel has nearly tripled the size of its plan to build thousands of houses in an area that has become one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The government announced a tender adding 2,167 houses to its disputed E1 settlement plan, in defiance of the UK and other western allies, which recently announced sweeping sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements.
Experts say the E1 project would divide occupied East Jerusalem from the West Bank, making a Palestinian state impossible.
The latest move brings the number of houses planned in the area to 3,401, Israeli rights group Ir Amim said, indicating that Israel is digging in on its land-grab despite the recent wave of international criticism.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the development of E1 and its damage to the prospect of a future Palestinian state were key reasons behind the sanctions unveiled on September 8.
The measures plunged relations to a historic low, and Israel’s government closed the UK’s consulate in occupied East Jerusalem in response, in addition to other steps.
International condemnation
While E1 plans have existed for many years, international opposition is said to have made successive Israeli governments postpone development.
The Israeli approach to E1 changed during the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current administration, which has made rapid settlement expansion and the destruction of prospects for a Palestinian state a priority.
Bidding for the tender is scheduled to open on October 25, two days before Israel is set to head to the polls.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has previously said E1 would “bury” a Palestinian state. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that the tenders were a serious breach of international law.
The two-state solution is endorsed by the vast majority of the international community as a way to bring about peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Ir Amim said the plan “underscores the government’s resolve to push forward the E1 settlement project with full force and create an increasingly irreversible reality on the ground ahead of the elections”.
“The recent developments underscore the limits of domestic avenues in preventing the advancement of E1 and reinforces the urgency of international intervention and accountability.”
