Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday signed an agreement to advance a controversial settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, a move that would cut across territory claimed by Palestinians for a future state.
During a visit to the Maale Adumim settlement, where thousands of new housing units are planned, Netanyahu declared, “There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours.” The expansion forms part of the long-debated E1 project, which was given final approval last month by Israel’s Defence Ministry planning commission. The E1 plan, if completed, would split the West Bank and sever its connection to East Jerusalem, a prospect long opposed by the Palestinians and much of the international community.
Netanyahu was accompanied by members of his right-wing coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who stated in August that the idea of a Palestinian state is being erased “not with slogans but with actions.” The push to revive E1 comes just two days after Israel’s attempted strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, which drew widespread condemnation and risks further straining ties with Western allies.
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