By DAYO ADESULU
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday reaffirmed his opposition to Palestinian statehood while endorsing the long-stalled E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
Speaking at a signing ceremony in the Maale Adumim settlement, Netanyahu vowed that Israel would continue expanding settlements despite widespread international condemnation.
“We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This land belongs to us,” Netanyahu said during the event, which was livestreamed by his office.
“We will safeguard our heritage, our land, and our security.”
Details of the E1 Settlement Plan
The controversial E1 project will see the construction of 3,400 housing units across a 12-square-kilometer (5-square-mile) area east of Jerusalem. Critics argue that the expansion would effectively cut the West Bank off from East Jerusalem, undermining prospects for a two-state solution.
Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state, a vision backed by most of the international community.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, echoed Netanyahu’s stance, declaring that the project would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”
International Backlash
The project, which had been stalled for years due to global opposition, was revived and approved last month by Israel’s right-wing government.
Several Western governments, including Germany, have strongly criticized the move, warning that it undermines peace efforts and further isolates Israel diplomatically.
Under international law, Israeli settlements in the West Bank are deemed illegal. Israel captured the territory, along with East Jerusalem, during the 1967 Six-Day War.
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