Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that there will be no Palestinian state, making the announcement at a ceremony in Maale Adumim to approve a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
“We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us,” Netanyahu said. He added that Israel would safeguard its “heritage, land and security” and aimed to double the city’s population. The remarks came as construction plans for the controversial E1 area were advanced.
E1 is a 12-square-kilometre tract of land linking Jerusalem with Maale Adumim. International opposition has long stalled development in the zone, as it would split the West Bank in two and threaten the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.
Last month, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich endorsed building 3,400 homes in the area. The decision was met with sharp criticism. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the move posed an “existential threat” to prospects of a two-state solution.
Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are considered illegal, regardless of Israeli approvals. Palestinian leaders and rights groups say the settlement drive further entrenches occupation and undermines peace efforts.
Some Western governments, including Britain and France, have announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN later this month, with London linking the decision to whether Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza.
