![]()
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on a major settlement expansion in the West Bank, declaring flatly that “there will never be a Palestinian state.”
The plan, long frozen under international pressure, has now been green-lit. The timing is deliberate: Israel may as well take the hit for both Gaza and the West Bank at once — while the U.S. looks the other way.
The expansion calls for thousands of new housing units and infrastructure in the sensitive E1 corridor near Ma’ale Adumim. That corridor is strategically critical: by building there, Israel bisects the West Bank and cuts Palestinians off from East Jerusalem — a death blow to any two-state solution.
According to rights groups, as many as 7,000 Palestinians stand to be displaced by this construction. The move follows Israel’s ongoing full military occupation of Gaza and signals an intent to consolidate permanent control over all Palestinian territories.
Reactions are mounting. Palestinian officials say this proves Israel never intended to allow Palestinian sovereignty. The EU and UN are expected to issue condemnations. Not so the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent the weekend making a pilgrimage to the Western Wall and posting overtures about America’s steadfast support for Israel.
The Biden administration was at least “troubled” by the West Bank settlement expansion. The Trump administration: Full approval.