Netanyahu Confirms No Palestinian State, Pushes Controversial West Bank Expansion
The E1 settlement project to double Maale Adumim's population sparks global criticism.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday that “there will be no Palestinian state,” reaffirming his government’s commitment to expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank. Speaking at a signing ceremony in Maale Adumim, a settlement east of Jerusalem, Netanyahu announced plans to double the city’s population through the controversial E1 project, which involves constructing approximately 3,400 housing units on a 12-square-kilometer tract of land. The event, broadcast live by his office, underscored Israel’s renewed push to develop the strategically sensitive area, long stalled by international opposition.
The E1 project, located between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, is seen as critical by critics because it could bisect the West Bank, severing connections between its northern and southern regions and isolating East Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as their future capital. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the plan, warning it poses an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state. All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are deemed illegal under international law, a stance reaffirmed by a July 2024 International Court of Justice ruling.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a vocal supporter of the E1 plan, framed it as a step to “erase” the prospect of Palestinian statehood. The announcement follows last month’s final approval by Israel’s Defense Ministry, drawing sharp criticism from the international community. Several Western nations, including Britain and France, have signaled their intent to recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly, particularly if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
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The Israeli NGO Peace Now warned that infrastructure work on E1 could begin within months, with housing construction starting within a year, calling it “deadly” for the prospects of a two-state solution. The West Bank, excluding Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, is home to about three million Palestinians and roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers, highlighting the deep demographic and political divides fueling the conflict.
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