Netanyahu's announcement came during a press conference held in the Ma'ale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem, where he explained that he signed the agreement with the heads of several settlement councils, a move he described as "part of a long-term strategy to strengthen Israeli control over the West Bank."
The E1 project is considered one of the most dangerous settlement plans, as its implementation would separate the northern West Bank from the southern one, undermining any possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority and the international community reject this plan as a direct threat to the two-state solution enshrined in United Nations resolutions.
Netanyahu reiterated his categorical rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying, "This place is ours. We will preserve our land, our heritage, and our security." He added, "I said from the second day of the war in Gaza that we would change the face of the Middle East, and we have done so step by step. We have removed an existential threat, and we will complete the mission."
"Israel's eastern front is not Ma'ale Adumim, but the Jordan Valley," he said, referring to his government's commitment to plans to annex large parts of the West Bank.
Netanyahu viewed settlement expansion around Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank as "part of a long-term strategic policy that will lead to the emergence of new cities similar to Ma'ale Adumim in the Land of Israel," he said.
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The United Nations affirms that settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and undermines the possibility of implementing the two-state solution. It has been calling for a halt to this construction for decades, to no avail.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide left 64,718 Palestinians martyred, 163,859 wounded, most of them children and women, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that claimed the lives of 411 Palestinians, including 142 children.
For decades, Israel has occupied Palestine and territories in Syria and Lebanon, and refuses to withdraw from these territories and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.
