MALE ADMIM, West Bank (AP) — Israeli far-right finance minister announced the construction of a controversial new settlement on Thursday in the West Bank of Israeli occupation.
It was announced in September that many countries said they would recognize the Palestinian state.
“This reality finally fills the idea of the Palestinian state because there is nothing to recognize and no one will recognize,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotlich said. “Anyone in the world today seeks to recognize the Palestinian state will receive an answer from us on earth,” he said.
The development of E1, an open area of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than 20 years, but has been frozen by US pressure during previous administrations. On Thursday, Smotric praised President Donald Trump and the US ambassador of Israel Mike Huckabee as “a true friend of Israel ever.”
The E1 plan has not yet received final approval, expected next week. The plan includes around 3,500 apartments to expand the Male Admim settlement, Smotrich said. Although some bureaucratic measures remain, if the process moves quickly, infrastructure work could begin in the coming months and home construction could begin in about a year.
Rights groups quickly condemned the plan. Peace now called it “the potential to achieve Israel’s future and a peaceful two-state solution.”
The announcement comes as Palestinian authorities and Arab countries condemned a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview on Tuesday. He did not elaborate, but supporters of the idea believe that Israel should control some of the Arab countries, not just the West Bank countries that were occupied by Israel.
