Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will never allow the creation of a Palestinian state, delivering his declaration at the signing of a major settlement expansion 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,” Mr Netanyahu said on Thursday in Maale Adumim, a settlement just east of Jerusalem. His remarks were streamed live by his office.
Standing before residents and party loyalists, the Israeli leader pledged to double the city’s population. “We will safeguard our heritage, our land and our security,” he said.
The announcement drew swift international reaction. The settlement, known as E1, has long been seen as one of the most contentious building plans in the West Bank. Stretching across roughly 12 square kilometres, it links Jerusalem to Maale Adumim. Critics warn that building there would sever the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, making a contiguous Palestinian state almost impossible.
Last month, Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, threw his support behind constructing about 3,400 homes on the site. The move sparked condemnation, including from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who said such construction would pose an “existential threat” to Palestinian statehood.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, are considered illegal under international law. Israel disputes that view, arguing the land is disputed territory.
The timing of Mr Netanyahu’s declaration is particularly sensitive. Several Western governments, among them Britain and France, have said they intend to formally recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations later this month.
London has warned it will proceed with recognition if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, where war has raged since Hamas launched a deadly attack in October 2023.
Palestinian leaders condemned the prime minister’s statement. “This is proof Israel is not interested in peace, only in permanent occupation,” a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority said in response.
For now, Mr Netanyahu appears to be doubling down on his long-standing opposition to a two-state solution. Whether the international community will act decisively against Israel’s settlement drive, or whether such recognition efforts at the United Nations will shift the ground, remains to be seen.
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