An Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land which the Palestinians seek for a state received final approval on Wednesday. On Sunday, during a visit to Ofra, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: ”I said 25 years ago that we will do everything to secure our grip on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to prevent the attempts to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised, we have delivered.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the decision, calling it a “historic” move. He also emphasized the broader political implications, stating, “The idea of a Palestinian state is being taken off the table not through rhetoric, but through tangible actions. Every new neighborhood, every housing unit, is a step away from that dangerous concept.”
