Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon has reportedly decided to expand the Etzion settlement bloc in the West Bank to include a compound later intended to become a new settlement. Located between the Etzion bloc and Hebron, the new settlement would create an Israeli corridor stretching from Jerusalem to the city of Hebron. The plan has been severely criticized by the US administration. State Department spokesperson John Kirby condemned the decision, asserting that it hinders attempts to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. “Continued settlement activity and expansion raises honest questions about Israel's long-term intentions,” Kirby said Jan. 8 at a press briefing.
The Palestinian reaction was much sharper. In the view of the Palestinian leadership, the move is aimed at sabotaging the last chance for a two-state solution. A senior Palestinian security official who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity angrily stated, “This is Ya'alon's way of thanking the Palestinian Authority's [PA] security cooperation. The minister of defense is well aware of the fact that the PA security forces have averted attacks, mainly by Hamas, against Israelis. President Mahmoud Abbas is taking considerable political risks on the issue. The approval of a new settlement that hinders the establishment of a two-state solution is an affront against all moderates in the Palestinian leadership and might serve as a prescription for enhancing violence.”