In a reversal of past US policy, the State Department backed the E1 project connecting Maale Adumim to Jerusalem, calling it essential to Israel’s stability and regional peace.

(AFP) - France on Saturday condemned Israel's decision to build thousands of new homes in the West Bank and called on Israel to drop the controversial E1 project to link Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, calling it "a serious violation of international law".

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich previously approved plans for a settlement that would split east Jerusalem from the West Bank. The UN human rights office said on Friday that Israel's decision to build a new settlement near east Jerusalem was illegal under international law and that it put nearby Palestinians at risk of forced eviction,

The Israeli government's decision to proceed with the E1 settlement project has sparked widespread condemnation and concerns over the viability of a two-state solution. The move is seen as a direct threat to Palestinian statehood,