Stop Smotrich Before He Dooms the Palestinians and the State of Israel
Who will Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the settlers and their representative in the cabinet, succeed in defeating first through his "Decisive Plan"? The Palestinians, or the State of Israel? The finance minister is not wasting time. The election clock is ticking, and his party is hovering close to the Knesset's electoral threshold. So, he must create as many facts on the ground as possible to block any future attempt of resolving the conflict by forfeiting land.
The competitive bidding process, or tender, issued by the Construction and Housing Ministry this week for the construction of 1,200 homes in the E1 area, located between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim, is designed precisely to do that. It is also designed to appeal to his settler constituency ahead of the election: The deadline to submit tender offers is October 19, a week before the polls open.
For years, E1 has been considered a particularly sensitive area in the West Bank, because Israel's building on it would disrupt Palestinian territorial contiguity and foil the creation of a Palestinian state. That is the reason Israeli governments over the years either have refrained from moving ahead with construction plans there, or were thwarted in their attempts to do so by international pressure.
Ariel Sharon attempted to build there but was stopped by U.S. President George W. Bush. Since then, others have tried repeatedly, only to be blocked by the United States and Europe. In 2014, the European Union went as far as defining construction in the area as a red line, whose crossing would be a factor in preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. That is what makes E1 so alluring to those who support an apartheid regime from the river to the sea.
As befits the government of settlers and Kahanists led by the arsonist in chief, Benjamin Netanyahu, it has decided to cross this line. Last year, construction of 3,401 housing units was approved, although tenders were delayed twice due to diplomatic pressure. In May, 11 countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Australia, issued a statement calling on contractors not to participate in the tender, and even warned them about the legal and reputational implications of building settlements and the risk of being in violation of international law.
When Smotrich spoke last August about building in E1, he framed it as "a reality that buries the idea of a Palestinian state." When he learned about a request to the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against him, he signed an order for the immediate evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village located in the area.
The announcement of the tender is a test for the international community; first and foremost, for the EU, which called construction there a red line, and for the U.S., which has in the past blocked building plans in E1. The moment of truth has arrived. Smotrich cannot be allowed to establish a dystopian future of injustice for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
The above article is Haaretz's lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel.