{"id":44461,"date":"2025-08-14T09:17:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T06:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/?p=44461"},"modified":"2025-08-14T09:32:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T06:32:23","slug":"e1-validation-scheduled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/e1-validation-scheduled","title":{"rendered":"Final Approval Hearing for the E1 Plan Scheduled for Next Wednesday in Record Speed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday (13\/8\/25), the Subcommittee for Objections of the Higher Planning Council published the protocol<\/a> from its hearing on the objections to the E1 plans, held on 6\/8\/25<\/a>. The Subcommittee decided to reject all objections and recommend that the Higher Planning Council approve the plans (with a few minor technical amendments).<\/p>\n

The next and final step in the approval process<\/a> is the Higher Planning Council\u2019s hearing to grant the plans statutory approval (validation). In a highly unusual move, the hearing for final approval has been scheduled at record speed \u2014 for next Wednesday, 20\/8\/25.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Minister Smotrich announced a press conference today to declare the advancement of the E1 plan.<\/p>\n

\n

Peace Now: “The E1 plan is deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing at the edge of an abyss, and the government is driving us forward at full speed. There is a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to the terrible war in Gaza \u2014 the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel \u2014 and it will ultimately come. The government\u2019s annexation moves are taking us further away from this solution and guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Next steps before construction can begin:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Final approval<\/strong> by the Higher Planning Council (scheduled for 20\/8\/25).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Publication of the approval notice<\/strong> \u2013 after bureaucratic processing to prepare all plan documents per the Council\u2019s decisions; may take days or weeks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Tenders for construction<\/strong> \u2013 In the E1 area, considered part of the Ma\u2019ale Adumim settlement, tenders must be issued to invite developers to build the housing units. These can be published immediately after final approval. Selecting tender winners usually takes several months.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Building permits<\/strong> \u2013 Tender winners must obtain permits from the Ma\u2019ale Adumim municipality; this process also takes several months.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Start of construction<\/strong> \u2013 Once permits are granted, building can begin. The Ministry of Housing may start infrastructure works (roads, sewage, water, electricity, etc.) even before the housing tenders are published.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If the process moves quickly, infrastructure work in E1 could begin within a few months, and housing construction within about a year.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Rejection of the objections:<\/strong>
    The Subcommittee addressed many of the opponents\u2019 arguments in detail but rejected them all. The most serious and central argument, however, was dismissed in just a few sentences without substantive engagement. This core argument,     raised mainly by Peace Now<\/a>, Ir Amim, and thousands of others, was that planning the heart of the West Bank exclusively for Israelis constitutes severe discrimination against the Palestinian population; that this land is vital for Palestinian development (whether in an independent state or not); and that the Higher Planning Council has a duty to address Palestinian needs.<\/p>\n

    The Subcommittee avoided dealing with this issue, stating:<\/p>\n

    \n

    “The committee rejects the claims, most of which are political in nature\u2026 The plan area is within the boundaries of Ma\u2019ale Adumim\u2019s master plans, approved for decades\u2026 Therefore, the approval of this plan makes no substantive change to the already approved plans\u2026 The opponents present many political arguments that the committee has neither the authority nor the tools to examine and discuss.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    In other words, the Higher Planning Council effectively admits that it plans exclusively for Israelis while ignoring Palestinian needs.<\/p>\n

    For more on the significance of the E1 plan, see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n