ALBAWABA- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday doubled down on his rejection of Palestinian statehood, announcing the official approval of the long-stalled E1 settlement expansion plan that critics say will sever the West Bank and make a future Palestinian state geographically impossible.
“We previously committed that there will be no Palestinian state, and indeed no Palestinian state will be established,” Netanyahu declared, reaffirming his hardline stance.
He emphasized that Israel’s eastern front is not the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim but the Jordan Valley, effectively underscoring Israel’s intention to cement permanent control over large swathes of occupied territory.
Under the newly signed plan, E1 will link Ma’ale Adumim — one of Israel’s largest settlements east of Jerusalem, to Jerusalem itself, while extending settlement blocs deeper into the West Bank.
Netanyahu promised that “many cities similar to Ma’ale Adumim” would soon rise across “our land,” pledging further expansion as part of his vision for what he calls the “eternity of Israel.”
The prime minister also touted past military strikes, including attacks on Iran, which he claimed had removed an “existential threat” to Israel. Critics, however, say his policies are entrenching an apartheid-like reality and closing the door to any negotiated peace.
Netanyahu framed his decisions within what he described as a “historic mission” to achieve Greater Israel. “We are working with determination on all fronts to achieve one thing, the eternity of Israel,” he said.
