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File photo of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holding a map of a land corridor known as E1 taken near the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, on August 14, 2025. File photo of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holding a map of a land corridor known as E1 taken near the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, on August 14, 2025. © Menahem Kahana, AFP

02:15

Issued on: 20/08/2025 - 15:06

Israel on Wednesday gave approval for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank’s E1 area, a move Palestinians and rights groups warn could effectively block a future Palestinian state. The development, long frozen under US pressure, has been backed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as a challenge to Western countries recognising a Palestinian state. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky has the details from Jerusalem.

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