In exclusive statements to ‘Sputnik’, he said that the project targets the central West Bank area, specifically around Jerusalem. It aims to completely separate the northern and southern West Bank through the settlement of ‘Ma’ale Adumim’. In the second phase, it works on integrating the settlement into the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem municipality.
He continued, ‘The occupying state imposed its sovereignty over Jerusalem in 1967, therefore, it views Jerusalem very differently from how it views the West Bank lands. The settlement of Ma’ale Adumim is close to Jerusalem but is classified in Israeli frameworks as one of the West Bank settlements.’
He confirmed that according to the project, Israel will annex one of the largest settlements in the West Bank to the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem municipality. This involves annexing new Palestinian lands, paving the way to separate the northern West Bank from the south.
Daoud explained that ‘the goal of this plan, as is known, is to eliminate the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state in the future, considering that a Palestinian state cannot exist with fragmented geography and disconnected provinces. This is what the occupying state continues to do, whether through this plan or other plans targeting Palestinian lands.’
Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the approval of plans to establish new settlements aimed at separating East Jerusalem from the West Bank and linking it with the settlement of ‘Ma’ale Adumim’. This step is considered by the international community as a violation of international law and a threat to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Smotrich said during a press conference in the targeted area, ‘After 20 years of delay and pressure, today we announce that the restriction has been broken, and the program to connect Ma’ale Adumim with Jerusalem has started,’ confirming that the plan ‘will permanently bury the idea of a Palestinian state.’
The minister pointed out that the project is being carried out ‘in full coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and our friends in the United States,’ announcing that Netanyahu ‘is working to introduce a million new settlers’ to the West Bank, which he described as ‘an integral part of Israeli sovereignty.’
Smotrich added that the approval of the project comes within the ‘actual sovereignty plan’ implemented by the government on the ground, considering the step ‘a manifestation of Zionism in its finest form.’
It is noted that the United Nations and most international powers see that Israeli settlement expansion undermines the chances of a two-state solution by tearing apart Palestinian territories. Reports indicate a significant increase in violence perpetrated by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, where dozens of Palestinians have been killed, farms and houses destroyed, and water and electricity cut off from Palestinian communities.
According to international and Israeli human rights organizations, including ‘B’Tselem’ and ‘Human Rights Watch’, along with United Nations reports, the vast majority of settler attacks go unpunished.
