By Staff, Agencies

"Israel" has approved the construction of 1,300 new settlement units in the Gush Etzion bloc, south of occupied East Al-Quds, in what marks another major escalation in illegal settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank.

According to "Israeli" media outlet Channel 14, the decision was unanimously approved earlier this week by the Special Planning and Building Committee overseeing the Gush Etzion settlements, targeting the "Har HaRusim" neighborhood, located near the "Alon Shvut" settlement, southwest of occupied East al-Quds.

The plan includes not only housing but also the construction of schools, public facilities, parks, and a major commercial center aimed at serving neighboring settlements. The Gush Etzion Regional Council hailed the move as a response to increasing settler demand in the area.

The announcement came just days after US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about "Israel's" West Bank actions, stating, "Don’t worry about the West Bank. 'Israel’s' not going to do anything with the West Bank," during an October 24 press briefing.

Trump’s remarks came as the "Israeli" Knesset gave preliminary approval of two draft laws aimed at annexing the occupied West Bank and the "Ma’ale Adumim" settlement bloc.

Such measures would isolate East al-Quds from its Palestinian surroundings and divide the West Bank into two disconnected regions, undermining the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.

On Tuesday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has accelerated settlement construction and land seizures in the West Bank, aiming to establish irreversible "facts on the ground" ahead of next year’s Knesset elections.

Since the return of so-called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late 2022, "Israel" has advanced plans for approximately 48,000 settlement units, averaging 17,000 units per year, a pace not seen in previous administrations.

In August, the occupation approved the controversial E1 settlement plan, the construction of 3,400 units near "Ma’ale Adumim". Critics warn that E1 would sever the northern and southern West Bank, further isolating east al-Quds and delivering what many see as a final blow to the already imperiled two-state solution.

The UN and a broad international consensus have repeatedly affirmed that "Israeli" settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Additionally, Human rights group Peace Now described the E1 plan as a "fatal blow" to Palestinian statehood, noting that its implementation would make the creation of a viable Palestinian state nearly impossible.

Moreover, Palestinians insist on al-Quds as the capital of their future state, grounded in international resolutions that reject the legitimacy of "Israel’s" 1967 occupation and its 1980 annexation of the city.

"Israel’s" E1 plan refers to a development project in the West Bank, where "Israel" intends to build thousands of housing units and infrastructure on a 12-square-kilometer tract of land known as E1, adjacent to the settlement of "Ma’ale Adumim" just east of occupied al-Quds.

The proposal, revived and advanced in 2025, aims to link "Ma’ale Adumim" more closely to occupied al-Quds while encircling East al-Quds with "Israeli" residential, industrial, and commercial developments.