Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday signalled his intentions about a Palestinian state, saying that there will never be any such thing in existence.
He also signed an agreement to push ahead with a controversial settlement expansion plan that would cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state.
"There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours. We will safeguard our heritage, our land, and our security," AFP quoted Netanyahu as saying during a visit to the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, where thousands of new housing units would be added.
The controversial E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from the proposed Palestinian capital of East Jerusalem, received final approval from a defence ministry planning commission last month.
Benjamin Netanyahu is the latest Israeli politician to rule out a Palestinian state, a cornerstone of the UN-accepted two-state solution. Earlier in August, his finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, had said a Palestinian state "is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions."
The move, coming two days after Israel tried to kill Hamas leaders in Qatar and was roundly condemned, may add to already strained relations with many of its allies.
{{/usCountry}}The move, coming two days after Israel tried to kill Hamas leaders in Qatar and was roundly condemned, may add to already strained relations with many of its allies.
{{/usCountry}}Restarting the project could further isolate Israel, which has watched some Western allies frustrated by its continuation and planned escalation of the Gaza war announce they may recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month.
What is the E1 project that Israel is using to effectively kill a Palestinian state?
E1 is located adjacent to Maale Adumim and was frozen in 2012 and 2020 amid objections from the US and European governments.
Total investment in the project, which will include adding roads and upgrading major infrastructure, is estimated at nearly $1 billion.
Western capitals and campaign groups have opposed the settlement project due to concerns that it could undermine a future peace deal with the Palestinians.
The two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel.
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.