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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday that there will never be a Palestinian state, making the statement at a ceremony launching a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank.

Speaking in Maale Adumim, a settlement just east of Jerusalem, Netanyahu said: “We are fulfilling our promise, there will be no Palestinian state. This land belongs to us.” He pledged to protect Israel’s heritage, territory, and security, adding that the government plans to double the settlement’s population. The event was broadcast live by his office.

The announcement marks a renewed push to develop the area known as E1, a 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) stretch of land between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim. For years, international opposition has stalled construction there, as the project sits on a corridor linking the northern and southern parts of the West Bank.

Momentum for the plan grew last month when far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich endorsed building roughly 3,400 homes on the sensitive site. His backing sparked global criticism, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres warning that the move could split the West Bank in two and threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.

Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, are deemed illegal, regardless of Israeli approvals.

The timing of Netanyahu’s remarks comes as several Western nations, including Britain and France, prepare to recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations later this month. London has said it will take the step if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict, which erupted after Hamas’s October 2023 assault.

Meanwhile, members of Israel’s far-right government have increasingly called for the annexation of West Bank territory. Watchdog group Peace Now warned last week that infrastructure work in E1 could begin within months, with home construction starting as soon as next year. The organisation described the project as “deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution.”

The West Bank, excluding Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, is home to about three million Palestinians and roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers, a demographic divide that underscores the stakes surrounding Israel’s settlement expansion.