Israel gave final approval Wednesday 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 hopes for a future Palestinian state.

E1 project aims to split West Bank into 2 parts, cutting off northern cities of Ramallah and Nablus from Bethlehem and Hebron in south - Anadolu Ajansı

Israeli finance minister directly links green-lighting 3,000 housing units in West Bank with killing two-state solution, days after western states said they would recognise Palestine