 "Israel unveils new West Bank settlement plan that 'buries the idea of Palestinian state'")
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to resettle the West Bank, drawing widespread criticism from Palestinians and rights advocates who say the project would change prospects of a future Palestinian state by dividing the region into two parts.
While announcing the plan on Thursday, Smotrich said, “This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise. Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state – will receive an answer from us on the ground.”
The announcement comes at a time when more and more countries are stepping forward to recognise the state of Palestine.
Development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to US pressure during previous administrations. On Thursday, Smotrich praised President Donald Trump and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee as “true friends of Israel as we have never had before.”
What does the plan entail?
The E1 plan has not yet received its final approval, which is expected next week. The plan includes around 3,500 apartments to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim, Smotrich said.
While some bureaucratic steps remain, if the process moves quickly, infrastructure work could begin in the next few months and construction of homes could start in around a year.
The finance minister said that he has got a green signal from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his plans.
“He backs me up in everything concerning Judea and Samaria, and is letting me create the revolution,” Smotrich said.
Rights groups protest
Rights groups swiftly condemned the plan. Peace Now called it “deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution” which is “guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed.”
The announcement comes as the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries condemned Netanyahu’s statement in an interview on Tuesday that he was “very” attached to the vision of a Greater Israel. He did not elaborate, but supporters of the idea believe that Israel should control not only the occupied West Bank but parts of Arab countries.
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