West Bank settlement aims to 'bury' Palestinian state
The announcement comes as many countries say they will recognise a Palestinian state in September.
"This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday.
"Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state - will receive an answer from us on the ground."
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".
The E1 plan has not yet received its final approval, which is expected next week, and includes about 3500 apartments to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim.
While some bureaucratic steps remain, if the process moves quickly, construction of homes could start in about a year.
Most of the international community views Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and its military occupation over the region since 1967, as illegal.
Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank - which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war - will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.
Settler violence has skyrocketed, from destruction of olive groves and cutting water and electricity in communities, to incendiary attacks on Christian holy sites.
Rights groups swiftly condemned the E1 plan.
Peace Now called it "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution" that was "guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed".
The announcement comes as the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.
About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised by most countries but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.
The UN and most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory.
Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area, and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security.
with Reuters
Israel's far-right finance minister has announced a contentious new settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which Palestinians and rights groups worry will scuttle plans for a future Palestinian state by effectively cutting the West Bank into two separate parts.
The announcement comes as many countries say they will recognise a Palestinian state in September.
"This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday.
"Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state - will receive an answer from us on the ground."
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".
The E1 plan has not yet received its final approval, which is expected next week, and includes about 3500 apartments to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim.
While some bureaucratic steps remain, if the process moves quickly, construction of homes could start in about a year.
Most of the international community views Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and its military occupation over the region since 1967, as illegal.
Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank - which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war - will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.
Settler violence has skyrocketed, from destruction of olive groves and cutting water and electricity in communities, to incendiary attacks on Christian holy sites.
Rights groups swiftly condemned the E1 plan.
Peace Now called it "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution" that was "guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed".
The announcement comes as the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.
About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised by most countries but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.
The UN and most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory.
Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area, and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security.
with Reuters
Israel's far-right finance minister has announced a contentious new settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which Palestinians and rights groups worry will scuttle plans for a future Palestinian state by effectively cutting the West Bank into two separate parts.
The announcement comes as many countries say they will recognise a Palestinian state in September.
"This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday.
"Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state - will receive an answer from us on the ground."
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".
The E1 plan has not yet received its final approval, which is expected next week, and includes about 3500 apartments to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim.
While some bureaucratic steps remain, if the process moves quickly, construction of homes could start in about a year.
Most of the international community views Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and its military occupation over the region since 1967, as illegal.
Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank - which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war - will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.
Settler violence has skyrocketed, from destruction of olive groves and cutting water and electricity in communities, to incendiary attacks on Christian holy sites.
Rights groups swiftly condemned the E1 plan.
Peace Now called it "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution" that was "guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed".
The announcement comes as the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.
About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised by most countries but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.
The UN and most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory.
Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area, and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security.
with Reuters
Israel's far-right finance minister has announced a contentious new settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which Palestinians and rights groups worry will scuttle plans for a future Palestinian state by effectively cutting the West Bank into two separate parts.
The announcement comes as many countries say they will recognise a Palestinian state in September.
"This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday.
"Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state - will receive an answer from us on the ground."
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".
The E1 plan has not yet received its final approval, which is expected next week, and includes about 3500 apartments to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim.
While some bureaucratic steps remain, if the process moves quickly, construction of homes could start in about a year.
Most of the international community views Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and its military occupation over the region since 1967, as illegal.
Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank - which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war - will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.
Settler violence has skyrocketed, from destruction of olive groves and cutting water and electricity in communities, to incendiary attacks on Christian holy sites.
Rights groups swiftly condemned the E1 plan.
Peace Now called it "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution" that was "guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed".
The announcement comes as the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.
About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised by most countries but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.
The UN and most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory.
Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area, and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security.
with Reuters
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Has state recognition changed the game in Gaza? Only for the deluded
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Cultural gatekeepers write off 'Take Back Australia' marchers worried about the cost of living as racist xenophobes
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Housing, cost of living and public services are reduced to a blame immigrants versus blame corporations-style fight. And in eye-watering echo-chamber thinking, Ms Chatfield and her cheerleaders assume anyone attending the rally is ignorant, privileged or a neo-Nazi. This, I would argue, is an ignorant way to view a complex national debate on where Australia is heading. In the inner suburbs, the immigration discussion is often abstract such as a dinner-party chat about 'enriching diversity'. Then there's the progressive enclave that is state-sponsored media, with a SBS article on Thursday citing experts who warn the protests "stem from misinformation and fear". But in regional towns, the issue is immediate and it is not that regional Australians are less tolerant. They simply see the impacts first-hand without the safety net of big-city infrastructure. None of this excuses genuine racism, violence or threats. That is the line and it must be policed. But it is just as wrong to treat every concern about immigration levels as a dog whistle. If people are told their legitimate worries are forbidden topics, they do not become more tolerant. They become more resentful. People will not be turning up on August 31 because they hate diversity. It will be because they feel invisible. Louise Roberts is a journalist and editor who has worked as a TV and radio commentator in Australia, the UK and the US. Louise is a winner of the Peter Ruehl Award for Outstanding Columnist in the NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism and has been shortlisted in other awards for her opinion work
