Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday announced a new settlement construction in the Israel-occupied West Bank, which would effectively cut the territory into two parts. The announcement comes as many countries have said that they would recognise Palestine as a state in September.
“This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise,” said minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Palestinians and rights groups worry that if the West Bank is cut into two separate parts, then their plan for a future Palestinian state would be disrupted.
ALSO READ | After UK and France, Australia to recognise Palestine but with condition: ‘No role for Hamas’
Smotrich warned that "anyone who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state — will receive an answer from us (Israel) on the ground".
Smotrich also informed that the development plan of E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, is expected to receive its final approval next week. The plan, which has been under consideration for over two decades, was frozen due to pressure from the previous US administrations.
However, on Thursday, the Israeli minister praised US President Donald Trump and US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, as "true friends of Israel as we have never had before".
ALSO READ | Gazans 'allowed to exit', says Netanyahu as Israel takeover begins, questions remain on where they can go
{{/usCountry}}However, on Thursday, the Israeli minister praised US President Donald Trump and US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, as "true friends of Israel as we have never had before".
ALSO READ | Gazans 'allowed to exit', says Netanyahu as Israel takeover begins, questions remain on where they can go
{{/usCountry}}The E1 development plan includes thousands of apartments for the expansion of Maale Adumim settlement, Smotrich said. While some bureaucratic steps are still pending, the infrastructure work could begin in the next few months if the process moves quickly, and the construction of homes could also begin in about one year.
However, rights groups were quick to condemn the plan.
The Peace Now group 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 Palestinian Authority and Arab countries recently condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement from Tuesday, where he said that he was "very" attached to the vision of a Greater Israel.
ALSO READ | New Zealand mulls Palestinian recognition as PM Luxon says Netanyahu has 'lost the plot'
Earlier this week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his country will formally recognise a Palestinian state, a move similar to that of France, Britain and Canada.
"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," Albanese said after a Cabinet meeting.
Late in July, Canada joined hands with France and the UK and declared that it would recognise the state of Palestine in September. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that there was "no room for delay".
Trump had reacted curtly to Canada's move and said that the country's decision would make it "very hard" for the US to make a trade deal with them.
France and the UK's move to recognise a Palestinian state sparked a shift in the stance G7 countries have taken towards the Palestinian struggle.
Israel and the US condemned France and the UK for their move, labelling their decision as a "reward for terror and Hamas".