Netanyahu from West Bank: ‘We thwarted Palestinian statehood’
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Netanyahu boasts about blocking a Palestinian state as “Israel” pushes illegal E1 settlement plan in the West Bank, defying global condemnation and international law.
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An Israeli bulldozer demolishes a Palestinian house in the West Bank settlement of Ofra, Wednesday, March 1, 2017 (AP)
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a visit to the illegal West Bank settlement of Ofra, boasted that he had fulfilled his pledge to block the establishment of a Palestinian state. His remarks came as the settlement marked the 50th anniversary of its founding on usurped Palestinian land, celebrated despite its illegality under international law.
Recalling a visit to Ofra 25 years earlier, Netanyahu said he had promised “to do everything to ensure our continued hold on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to thwart the attempts that existed then, and unfortunately still exist, to try to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised, we kept.”
The prime minister said "Israel" had resisted “pressures from home, pressures from abroad, a series of American presidents who wanted to uproot us and to establish a Palestinian state here. We stood firm together. We upheld the promise of the generations.”
All this, of course, comes even as "Israel" remains Washington’s prized ally in West Asia, showered for decades with billions in US weapons, no matter who sits in the Oval Office, weapons now wielded to entrench occupation and silence any talk of a Palestinian state.
France calls on 'Israel' to halt its settlement expansion plan
France's Foreign Ministry called on "Israel" to abandon its plan to build thousands of new settlement units in the West Bank, stating that the project represents a serious violation of international law, in a statement issued on Saturday.
A French Foreign Ministry spokesperson strongly condemned "Israel's" decision to construct 3,400 new settlement units in a highly sensitive area of the occupied West Bank.
On August 15, Germany called on the Israeli government to stop settlement expansion in the West Bank following an announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich about plans to begin construction of new settlement units in the occupied territory.
Contentious plan
The plan includes over 3,400 settlement units connecting the illegal settlement of "Ma'ale Adumim" to occupied al-Quds, effectively severing the West Bank into two and blocking any possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.
E1, or "East 1", is a 12-square-kilometer area between occupied al-Quds and the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. For years, international opposition kept the project frozen, due to its grave implications for Palestinian statehood and violations of international law. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that all settlement activities in the West Bank and the eastern part of al-Quds violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Last Thursday, Smotrich did not conceal the motive behind the plan, declaring, "This will bury the idea of a Palestinian state," calling it the "final nail in the coffin" of any idea of a Palestinian State. He emphasized that the plan was developed in full coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with support from the US.
Smotrich's announcement to begin the construction of E1 settlements sparked outrage in occupied Palestine and beyond.
International law and the E1 plan
The E1 settlement project continues to draw international condemnation. The International Court of Justice has unequivocally stated that all settlements in occupied territories are illegal. The project is seen by legal experts, diplomats, and rights groups as a decisive blow to the "two-state solution" and a tool for forced demographic change.
Despite this, "Israel" presses forward, emboldened by US backing and internal political consensus. As the situation escalates, Palestinian Resistance, both institutional and grassroots, remains steadfast in its opposition, framing the E1 project as an existential threat to the Palestinian cause.
The European Commission voiced its opposition to the expansionist plan, declaring that the annexation of parts of the West Bank by "Israel" is illegal under international law. A spokesperson reiterated the EU's firm stance against the displacement and eviction of Palestinians, emphasizing that such measures jeopardize the prospects for peace and a viable "two-state solution". The commission urged "Israel" to halt all settlement activity immediately.
