Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made one of his clearest statements yet on Thursday, declaring there would never be a Palestinian state. Speaking at a ceremony marking a new settlement project in the occupied West Bank, he pledged to press ahead with expansion despite mounting international pressure.
“We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us,” Mr Netanyahu said in Maale Adumim, an Israeli settlement just east of Jerusalem. His remarks were broadcast live by his office.
He promised to “safeguard our heritage, our land and our security,” adding that Israel planned to double the settlement’s population.
The announcement comes as Israel prepares to advance construction in the E1 corridor, a stretch of land linking Jerusalem to Maale Adumim. Plans for the site, covering about 12 square kilometres, have been blocked for years under international pressure. Critics say development there would split the West Bank in two, making a future Palestinian state almost impossible.
Last month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leading figure in Israel’s far-right government, gave his backing to build more than 3,000 homes in the area. The decision drew sharp criticism. UN Secretary General António Guterres warned the move would pose an “existential threat” to any viable Palestinian state.
Israel captured the West Bank during the 1967 war, and every settlement built there is considered illegal under international law. Israel disputes that interpretation, insisting the land is theirs to build on.
The timing of Netanyahu’s vow is striking. Several Western nations, including Britain and France, are preparing to recognise Palestine at the United Nations later this month. Britain has said it will make the move if Israel refuses to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, where fighting continues after Hamas’s deadly attack in October 2023 triggered all-out war.
The question of Palestinian statehood remains at the heart of one of the world’s longest-running conflicts. For many, Netanyahu’s words confirmed what they long suspected: Israel’s current leadership has no intention of allowing such a state to exist. For Palestinians, it is yet another reminder of a future slipping further out of reach.
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