Rep. Adam Smith Statement on Advancement of the E1 Settlement Plan

SEATTLE, WA – Today, Representative Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement:

“The advancement of the long-stalled E1 settlement project is deeply alarming and destabilizing. This plan, which would add 3,400 housing units near East Jerusalem, would effectively split the West Bank into two regions and make the prospect of a viable Palestinian state significantly more difficult.

“The development of E1 flies in the face of long-standing U.S. and international opposition, undermines Israel’s own security, jeopardizes the future of the Palestinian people, and further erodes the possibility of a two-state solution, which is the only realistic path towards lasting peace. Finance Minister Smotrich’s declaration that this project is meant to ‘bury’ the idea of a Palestinian state makes the intention of this extremist plan clear. It is a direct rejection of peace efforts and a provocation that threatens to fuel further violence.

“I call on the Israeli government to reverse course and halt this reckless, dangerous plan. Continued unfettered settlement expansion threatens to push Israelis and Palestinians further from peace and jeopardizes the stability of the region.”

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