The Palestinian government, allies and campaign groups condemned the scheme, calling it illegal and saying the fragmentation of territory would rip up peace plans for the region.
“Whoever in the world is trying to recognise a Palestinian state today will receive our answer on the ground. Not with documents nor with decisions or statements, but with facts. Facts of houses, facts of neighbourhoods,“ Smotrich said.
The spokesperson said Washington remained primarily focused on ending the war in Gaza.
“It would put an end to prospects of a two-state solution,“ U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters. “Settlements go against international law ... (and) further entrench the occupation.”
Restarting the project could further isolate Israel, which has watched some of its Western allies condemn its military offensive in Gaza and announce they may recognise a Palestinian state.
In a statement headlined “Burying the idea of a Palestinian state,“ Smotrich’s spokesperson said the minister had approved the plan to build 3,401 houses for Israeli settlers between an existing settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Breaking the Silence, an Israeli rights group established by former Israeli soldiers, said what it called a land grab “will not only further fragment the Palestinian territory, but will further entrench apartheid”.
“The EU rejects any territorial change that is not part of a political agreement between involved parties. So annexation of territory is illegal under international law,“ European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said.
“The UK strongly opposes the Israeli government’s E1 settlement plans, which would divide a future Palestinian state in two and mark a flagrant breach of international law,“ Lammy said in an emailed statement.
Peace Now, which tracks settlement activity in the West Bank, said there were still steps needed before construction but infrastructure work could begin within a few months, and house building in about a year.
Consecutive Israeli governments have initiated, approved, planned and funded settlements, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.
Palestinians are already demoralised by the Israeli military campaign which has killed more than 61,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities, and fear Israel will ultimately push them out of that territory.
Most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory. The two-state plan envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel.
Most of the global community considers all settlements illegal under international law.
Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand imposed sanctions in June on Smotrich and another far-right minister who advocates for settlement expansion, accusing both of them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. - Reuters
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