JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially signed off on the controversial E1 settlement plan, a move widely condemned for blocking the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
Speaking during a signing ceremony held in Ma’ale Adumim one of the largest Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank Netanyahu firmly declared:
“There will not be a Palestinian state. This place is ours.”
The E1 development plan envisions the construction of thousands of housing units to physically connect Ma’ale Adumim with East Jerusalem. Spanning around 12 square kilometers, the area is considered a strategic corridor by Israeli authorities.
Critics argue the project will effectively split the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem from Palestinian territories and making a contiguous, sovereign Palestinian state geographically unviable.
Human rights groups and international bodies have long opposed the plan. Many say it not only violates international law, but also increases the risk of forced displacement of Palestinian communities living in the area.
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres called the move an “existential threat” to the long-standing two-state solution, warning that it undermines any hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Jerusalem Governorate also condemned the development, accusing Israel of using settlement expansion as a tool to alter East Jerusalem’s demographic balance.
At the same time, settler attacks on Palestinian homes and property have reportedly risen in recent months, further stoking fear and instability in the region.
The E1 plan has been frozen and revived multiple times over the past two decades due to intense international pressure, but Netanyahu’s latest move signals his government’s unapologetic shift away from negotiations and toward solidifying permanent control over contested territory.
