The project, located in a tract of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, has been under discussion for more than two decades.

In Al Eizariya, Mohammed Faroun sleeps on the floor of his shuttered café, waiting for Israeli bulldozers. His business, like thousands of others, stands in the way of a new highway and the E1 settlement expansion east of Jerusalem,

Israel gave final approval for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy plans for a future Palestinian state.

National Guard crash jolts D.C., US snags ISIS leader, Israel okays E1 settlement. Here’s what’s making headlines this Wednesday evening.

Construction in E1 is expected to begin immediately, while Ashahel’s plan reaches the deposit stage, a key step toward final approval.

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.