By MELANIE LIDMAN, Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — 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.

Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

This map shows the proposed area of the E1 settlement, alongside a depiction of existing settlements between it and Jerusalem. (AP Digital Embed)

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, cast the approval as a rebuke to Western countries that announced their plans to recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks.

“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,” he said on Wednesday. “Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel and has vowed to maintain open-ended control over the occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem, and the war-ravaged Gaza Strip — territories Israel seized in the 1967 war that the Palestinians want for their state.

Israel’s expansion of settlements is part of an increasingly dire reality for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as the world’s attention focuses on the war in Gaza. There have been marked increases in attacks by settlers on Palestinians, evictions from Palestinian towns, Israeli military operations, and checkpoints that choke freedom of movement, as well as several Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

More than 700,000 Israelis settlers now live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The location of E1 is significant because it is one of the last geographical links between the major West Bank cities of Ramallah, in the north, and Bethlehem, in the south.

The two cities are 22 kilometers (14 miles) apart, but Palestinians traveling between them must take a wide detour and pass through multiple Israeli checkpoints, spending hours on the journey. The hope was that, in an eventual Palestinian state, the region would serve as a direct link between the cities.

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“The settlement in E1 has no purpose other than to sabotage a political solution,” said Peace Now, an organization that tracks settlement expansion in the West Bank. “While the consensus among our friends in the world is to strive for peace and a two-state solution, a government that long ago lost the people’s trust is undermining the national interest, and we are all paying the price.”

If the process moves quickly, infrastructure work in E1 could begin in the next few months and construction of homes could start in around a year. The plan includes around 3,500 apartments that would abut the existing settlement of Maale Adumim. Smotrich also hailed the approval, during the same meeting, of 350 homes for the settlement of Ashael near Hebron.

Israel’s government is dominated by religious and ultranationalist politicians, like Smotrich, with close ties to the settlement movement. The finance minister has been granted Cabinet-level authority over settlement policies and vowed to double the settler population in the West Bank.

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A National Guard vehicle collided with a civilian car less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning as troops continued to take up positions around the city during President Donald Trump’s crackdown.

One person was trapped inside the car after the accident and had to be extricated by emergency responders, according to D.C. fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo. The person was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. A video posted online showed a tan-colored armored vehicle and a silver SUV with a crushed side. The military vehicle was twice the height of the civilian car.

“You come to our city and this is what you do? Seriously?” a woman yelled at the troops in the video.

The driver was conscious and breathing, and the injuries were not considered life threatening, police said.

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An estimated 1,900 troops are being deployed in D.C. More than half are coming from Republican-led states that are responding to requests from Trump administration officials.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said more than 550 people have been arrested so far, and the U.S. Marshals are offering $500 rewards for information leading to additional arrests.

“Together, we will make DC safe again!” Bondi wrote on social media.

Minnesota Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Republican from Maple Grove, announced Wednesday that she will be running for governor in 2026.

Robbins, 57, is a fourth-term representative and was first elected to the House in 2018. She chairs the newly created Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee and is vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee. She joins two former Republican gubernatorial candidates — Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls — in the race for the Republican nomination.

Minnesota State Rep. Kristin Robbins (Courtesy of Minnesota Legislature)

In a press release early Wednesday morning, Robbins said that if elected, she would commit to fiscal responsibility, stopping fraud, and bringing back “common-sense leadership.”

“I love Minnesota, and I’ve been blessed to raise my family here,” she said. “But over the last 8 years, Tim Walz has hurt families, businesses, and Minnesotans’ most vulnerable citizens. Under his mismanagement and leadership failures, our state has been heading in the wrong direction. Tim Walz burned through an $18 billion budget surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion, and allowed massive fraud to run rampant in his own agencies. Minnesotans deserve a leader who puts them first.”

No Democrats have announced a bid for governor; Gov. Tim Walz has yet to decide whether he will seek a third term. His staff said he will likely not announce his intentions until after the State Fair. Walz has ruled out other offices in 2026 , such as Sen. Tina Smith’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Other Republican candidates in the race include Jeff Johnson, a St. Cloud city councilor; Brad Kohler, a retired mixed martial arts fighter; and Phillip Parrish, a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander. If her bid is successful, Robbins would be the first female governor of Minnesota.

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While Minnesota United has been making inroads to bolster its roster before the summer transfer window closes Thursday, other players might be headed out.

Villareal’s pursuit of Tani Oluwaseyi surfaced on Sunday and has been heating up this week.

El Periodico Mediterraneo in Spain reported Tuesday the Spanish club was “optimistic” it could sign the Loons forward before their own window closes Sept. 1.

On Wednesday, GiveMeSport said Villarreal is “closing in a deal” for a fee in the ballpark of $7.5 million, which would be a record outgoing fee for MNUFC.

The reported fee for Oluwaseyi over the weekend was closer to $4-5 million.

United has also been approached by Turkish club Trabzonspor with an $8 million offer for midfielder Joaquin Pereyra, per Argentine journalist César Luis Merlo on Tuesday. The Loons acquired the Argentine attacker for roughly $2 million from Club Atletico Tucuman last summer, so that newly reported fee for Pereyra would be an enticing return for United.

The Loons sit in second place in the Western Conference and have a spot in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, but that kind of offer for Oluwaseyi and Pereyra might be too good to pass up for its leading scorer and its top creator.

Oluwaseyi, 25, has scored 10 goals and added seven assists in 1,828 MLS minutes across 23 matches this season. Pereyra, 26, has three goals and six assists in 1,985 MLS minutes across 26 matches this year.

Coming out of St. John’s, Oluwaseyi was the 17th pick in the 2022 draft and has blossomed after an injury-marred first season. He had 16 goals on loan at San Antonio in 2023, then eight goals and give assists in 1,084 minutes in 2024.

Pereyra had a slow start to his MLS tenure a year ago, with no goals and one assist in only 407 regular-season minutes.