'There Will Be No Palestinian State’: PM Netanyahu Vows As He Signs Israel’s E1 Settlement Plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sept. 11 that “there will be no Palestinian state” as his government moved forward with a long-delayed plan to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, The Times of Israel reported.

Speaking at a ceremony in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, just east of Jerusalem, Netanyahu said, “We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this place belongs to us. We will safeguard our heritage, our land and our security… We are going to double the city's population.”

The event was streamed live by his office, according to AFP.

The announcement coincided with Netanyahu signing an agreement to advance the controversial E1 settlement expansion project. The plan, which covers around 12 square kilometres of land between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, has faced years of international opposition. According to AFP, the site sits near key routes linking the northern and southern parts of the Palestinian territory. Experts warn it would effectively sever the West Bank from East Jerusalem, the area Palestinians see as the capital of a future state.

In August 2025, the E1 project received final planning approval from the government, paving the way for construction. The Times of Israel reported that the signing ceremony on Sept. 11 was largely symbolic but allowed the next phase of building to begin. The Civil Administration of Israel’s Defence Ministry has approved the creation of 3,412 housing units in a new neighbourhood of Maale Adumim, on its western edge, just east of East Jerusalem.

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are considered illegal under international law, whether or not they have Israeli planning permission, according to the AFP report. The E1 project has raised alarm among Western nations. Several governments, including Britain and France, are preparing to recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations later this month.

An Israeli NGO, Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity, warned last week that infrastructure work on the E1 site could start within months and housing construction within a year. According to AFP, it described the plan as “deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution.”