\n<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday signed an agreement on the implementation of controversial construction plans for settlements in the West Bank.<\/p>\n
The agreement concerns the construction of around 3,400 residential units in the so-called E1 area between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim, which is considered one of the most sensitive points in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.<\/p>\n
“There will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us,” said Netanyahu at the signing of the agreement in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the West Bank.<\/p>\n
An Israeli planning committee approved the construction plans for the E1 area last month.<\/p>\n
Building there would effectively split the West Bank into a northern and a southern part. This would make it difficult to create a contiguous territory for a future Palestinian state.<\/p>\n
The plans have met with particularly strong international criticism.<\/p>\n
Under international pressure, Israel has repeatedly postponed its plans for E1 in the past.<\/p>\n
The two-state solution is the only solution that can secure Israel’s future, according to the Israeli organization Peace Now. The construction plans would block this solution.<\/p>\n
“The ostentatious signing ceremony is a deliberate provocation to every moderate Palestinian who still believes the conflict can be resolved peacefully, and serves as a declaration that Israel is not interested in peace,” Peace Now said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n