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       ？ Palestinians fear move will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own

       ？ US urged to pressure Tel Aviv to stop settlement building; EU opposed to territorial change

       ？ 17 more killed as Gaza bombardment intensifies

       MAALE: Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, a move his office said would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.

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       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.

       Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Maale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either.

       “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.

       Israel froze construction plans at Maale Adumim in 2012, and again after a revival in 2020, because of objections from the US, European allies and other powers who considered the project a threat to any future peace deal with the Palestinians.

       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.

       Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank — which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Gaza war — will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.

       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.

       In Maale Adumim, Smotrich told Reuters that the plan would go into effect on Wednesday.

       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”.

       Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Palestinian president’s spokesperson, called on the United States to pressure Israel to stop settlement building.

       “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.

       Bombardment of Gaza

       Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 17 people were killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes as the military intensified its bombardment of Gaza City.

       The dead included six civilians who had been waiting for humanitarian aid, said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal. “The Israeli occupation forces are intensifying their raids in the Zeitun area” of Gaza City, he said.

       “For the fourth consecutive day, the area has been subject to a military operation, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries,” said Bassal.

       “Since dawn today, we have received 28 calls from families and residents of this neighbourhood, some of whose children have been killed. Many people cannot leave these areas due to artillery fire,” the spokesperson added.

       Maram Kashko, a resident of Zeitun, said the strikes had increased over the past four days. “My nephew, his wife and their children were killed in a bombardment,” he said.

       An AFP videographer said their bodies were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City and buried shortly afterwards at the Sayyid Hashim cemetery.

       On Wednesday, the head of the Israeli military said he had approved a new plan for operations in the Gaza Strip aimed at freeing all hostages and defeating Hamas.

       Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2025