Israel has yet to react to reports this morning that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas might decide to cut ties with Israel. Still, the escalation of tensions between the sides is evident on several levels. Officials in Jerusalem are concerned that these tensions could harm the expected visit to Israel of President Joe Biden June 24.

Reports yesterday said Israel’s Subcommittee on Objections of the Higher Planning Council (HPC) of the Civil Administration will resume discussions next month over plans for 3,412 housing units in the controversial E1 area near Jerusalem. The Subcommittee’s official agenda notice scheduled discussions for two construction plans. Discussions over these plans were frozen for several years following American and European pushback. Several Palestinian groups and Israeli NGOs have submitted over the years reservations over the plans. They are now set to be heard July 18.

Still, even if the Subcommittee rejects the reservations, several additional moves are needed before the plans can get final greenlight to be implemented. If implemented, E1 constructions will break up territorial contiguity between Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem.

As a reminder, the E1 area is located in the West Bank outside of Jerusalem, near the Maale Adumim settlement. The two E1 plans for settlement homes were first presented and received initial approval in 2012 when Benjamin Netanyahu served as prime minister but were then put on hold due to international pressure. The issue came back to Israel’s agenda under the Trump administration but was again confronted with fierce European objections. Netanyahu advanced the plans one more stage but did not manage to get final approval.