Israel’s Far-Right Finance Minister Announced New Illegal Settlements To "Bury" The Idea Of A Palestinian State
The long-delayed settlement would cut off the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem, which would make a cohesive Palestinian state geographically impossible.
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced that work will start on building new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the settlements will “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.
The long-delayed settlement would cut off the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem and connect it with another illegal settlement in Maale Adumim in the occupied West Bank, which would make a cohesive Palestinian state geographically impossible.
The project, which is in breach of international law and violates Palestinians' right to self-determination, according to the UN, plans to build more than 3,400 houses, had been postponed in 2012 and 2020 after the US and EU said it threatened peace deals with Palestinians, according to Reuters.
Speaking on Thursday, Aug. 15, Smotrich said the project would destroy any attempts from Palestinians and international bodies to recognize the state of Palestine, saying there will be “nothing to recognize and no one to recognize.”
“The time has come to fully apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” he said. “To make sure that by September, Europe’s hypocrite leaders will simply have nothing to recognize.”
He added that the project has gone ahead with the full approval of Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been slammed for his “expansionist colonial policies”, and US President Donald Trump.
The announcement comes day after the Israeli government approved a plan to take full control of Gaza, where Israel ‘s genocide has killed more than 61,897 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023.
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