(250814) -- JERUSALEM, Aug. 14, 2025 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on Aug. 14, 2025 shows a view of the E1 area, a stretch of land east of Jerusalem between the city and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim.
Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Wednesday he has approved the construction of 3,401 housing units for settlers in a particularly controversial area of the occupied West Bank.
The homes would be built in the E1 area, a stretch of land east of Jerusalem between the city and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. Construction there is seen as especially contentious because it would effectively cut off East Jerusalem from the northern West Bank. Building plans in E1 have been frozen for years, largely due to international opposition.
Smotrich, leader of a pro-settler party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition, said the move was also aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)
