Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday signed off on the long-disputed E1 settlement project near Jerusalem, a move that has faced years of international opposition and was once described by critics as a “death blow” to a future Palestinian state.
At a ceremony in Maale Adumim, Netanyahu repeated his rejection of Palestinian statehood. “We said a Palestinian state will not be established — and indeed, a Palestinian state will not be established,” he said.
The E1 plan calls for 3,401 housing units in Maale Adumim, a settlement east of Jerusalem. Construction in the area would sever territorial continuity between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem in the West Bank, making it nearly impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel has pushed the project for decades, but both Europe and the United States repeatedly blocked it. The administration of then-President Donald Trump broke with past policy, avoiding condemnation and signaling support, saying that a “stable West Bank” aligned with U.S. goals for regional peace.
Netanyahu, who has long made settlement expansion a core policy, framed the project as both a historic and demographic achievement. He predicted that Maale Adumim’s population would double to 70,000 within five years. “This is a tremendous change,” he said.
The prime minister also linked the expansion to Israel’s broader military campaign. Referring to the war that began nearly two years ago with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, he said Israel remained committed to bringing home all hostages, both living and dead. “We will bring them all back,” he said.
He pledged to continue fighting Hamas until its defeat. “What began in Gaza will end in Gaza,” he declared. He also said Israel was targeting other members of the Iranian-backed regional alliance, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels. “Are there any Yemenites here?” he asked the audience. “There are good Yemenites, you should know.”
Netanyahu closed his remarks by telling residents, “Happy holiday, Maale Adumim.”