Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Sep 12: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday declared that there would be no Palestinian state, as he presided over the signing ceremony for a major settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Speaking at Maale Adumim, an Israeli settlement east of Jerusalem, Netanyahu said, “We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this place belongs to us. We will safeguard our heritage, our land and our security... We are going to double the city’s population.” The event was broadcast live by his office.
The expansion is part of the controversial E1 project, a 12-square-kilometre tract of land linking Jerusalem to Maale Adumim. Plans to develop the area had been stalled for decades due to strong international opposition. Critics warn that the project would effectively split the West Bank in two, undermining the possibility of a future contiguous Palestinian state.
Last month, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich endorsed the construction of 3,400 housing units in the highly sensitive area, drawing sharp condemnation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the move poses an “existential threat” to any two-state solution.
Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are deemed illegal, regardless of Israeli approval. Despite this, expansion has continued, with about 500,000 Israeli settlers now living alongside nearly 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank.
Several Western nations, including Britain and France, have signaled plans to formally recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations later this month, especially if Israel fails to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, where war erupted following the October 2023 Hamas attack.
Israeli NGO Peace Now, which tracks settlement activity, has cautioned that infrastructure work in E1 could begin within months, with housing construction possibly starting within a year. The group warned the plan is “deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution.”