Israel moving ahead with settlement plans that would split West Bank in two, rights group says

British officials believed Israel had said it would hold off on moving ahead with construction in E1, a piece of land viewed as vital to a future Palestinian state. Israel said it promised no such thing.

Rights groups say the Israeli government is forging ahead with a contentious settlement expansion plan that would effectively divide the occupied West Bank, long criticized as a threat to the viability of a future Palestinian state.