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August 21, 2025
- E-1 Settlement is Fully Approved
- Settlers Take Over Land, Establish New Enclave n Hebron’s H-1
- Settler Terrorism & Ongoing Mass Displacement in the West Bank
- Bonus Reads
E-1 Settlement is Fully Approved
On August 20th, the Israeli government granted final approval for the construction of the E-1 settlement, clearing the way for infrastructure work to commence in the coming months and construction of 3,500 new settlement units to potentially begin in early 2026. The settlement is planned for an area that bisects the West Bank by connecting the Maale Adumim settlement to Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem. The design divides Ramallah and the northern West Bank from Bethlehem and the southern West Bank, which will severely affect the connectivity and fabric of life of Palestinians, and forcibly displace thousands of bedouin living in 18 communities on the land now.
The UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a statement condemning the approval saying:
“[the plan] represents another grave and unlawful step to consolidate annexation of the occupied West Bank, in violation of international law…By dramatically restricting Palestinian’s ability to move within the occupied West Bank, it will have catastrophic effects on their enjoyment of fundamental rights to access health, education, employment, and maintain family and society connections.”
Following the approval of the E-1 plan, Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich celebrated by saying this settlement approval is:
“historic …[and] a significant step that practically erases the two-state delusion and consolidates the Jewish people’s hold on the heart of the Land of Israel…The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not by slogans but by deeds. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”
The plan for E-1 is decried by proponents of a two-state solution, because it is designed to preclude the ability to draw a contiguous border for a Palestinian state that includes East Jerusalem communities. Unlike vociferous opposition from many European countries, the Trump Administration has not criticized the E-1 settlement approval. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told the AP that talk of a two-state solution was not a “high priority” for the Trump administration. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department elaborated on the U.S. position:
“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region.”
Settlers Take Over Land, Establish New Enclave n Hebron’s H-1
Peace Now reports that settlers have taken control over and established a presence on a small plot of land in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of central Hebron, on land located between a mosque and a Palestinian girls’ high school. There are no other settlement enclaves close to this new set up (which currently features two caravans placed on land that was cleared by the settlers in advance of moving the structures in), leading Peace Now to warn the new settler installment has “far-reaching implications for the security deployment required to protect it”.
This new settler enclave is in the H1 area of Hebron, which is supposed to be under the full authority of the Palestinian Authority; and Israeli military order prevents Israelis from entering the H-1 area.
Peace Now explains the situation in Tel Rumeida:
“The Palestinian residents of Tel Rumeida live under a regime of severe restrictions. For more than 20 years, the Israeli military has prohibited Palestinian vehicles from driving on the neighborhood’s roads. Residents must walk home on foot and carry all goods themselves. Over the past two years, the army has closed off all pedestrian access points into the neighborhood with checkpoints. Only residents registered as living in Tel Rumeida are allowed to enter – and only after inspection. The checkpoints remain open until 9:00 p.m. with one checkpoint supposedly open also after 9:00pm, however residents report that it is not consistently accessible…The new settlement is isolated and distant from the existing settler homes in Tel Rumeida and has far-reaching implications for the security deployment required to protect it. This impacts not only settlers but also the daily lives of Palestinian residents, worshippers at the mosque, and students attending the nearby school.”
Peace Now said in a statement:
“The settlement in Hebron represents the ugliest face of Israel’s control over the occupied territories. Nowhere in the West Bank is apartheid more apparent. The Netanyahu-Smotrich government has no restraints. The establishment of a new settlement within a dense Palestinian area in Hebron, particularly in an area under Palestinian control, is a provocation that undermines Israeli political and security interests. Its establishment constitutes a violation of both a signed international agreement and Israeli military law.”
Settler Terrorism & Ongoing Mass Displacement in the West Bank
Settlers continue to terrorize and forcibly displace Palestinian communities across the West Bank, including the Ein Ayoub neighborhood just last week. Increasingly brazen and emboldened by the systematic lack of enforcement against settlers for their violent crimes, settlers were filmed by a BBC film crew attacking Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank. A short distance north of Turmus Ayya, a mob of 70 settlers recently lynched two Palestinians, including 20 year old Palestinian American Saif Musallet.
OCHA presents critical reporting on the intensification of settler violence targeting Palestinians in the West Bank. It reports:
“Since the beginning of 2025, OCHA has documented more than 1,000 attacks by Israeli settlers in 230 communities across the West Bank that resulted in casualties, property damage or both, more than 60 per cent of which were in Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron governorates. In total, 11 Palestinians were killed in these attacks, including five by Israeli settlers, five by Israeli forces and one where it remains unknown if he was killed by Israeli settlers or forces. In addition, 696 Palestinians were injured in these attacks, including 473 by Israeli settlers, 217 by Israeli forces and six where it remains unknown if they were injured by Israeli settlers or forces. In comparison, 11 Palestinians were killed in attacks by settlers in 2024, including three by Israeli settlers, two by Israeli forces and six where it remains unknown whether they were killed by Israeli settlers or forces. In addition, last year, there were 486 Palestinians injured in settler attacks, including 362 by Israeli settlers, 115 by Israeli forces, and nine where it remains unknown if they were injured by Israeli settlers or forces.”
Bonus Reads
- “Israeli activists briefly cross Syria border in bid to establish settlement” (The Times of Israel, 8/19/25)
- “The Spread of Settlement Outposts and the Killing of Palestinians in the West Bank Are the Same Thing” (Haaretz, 8/14/25)
- “EXCLUSIVE: Centrist Ruben Gallego Circulating Letter Pushing Trump to Investigate Israeli Settler Violence” (Zeteo, 8/15/25)