Netanyahu signs agreement on building plans for West Bank settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday signed an agreement on the implementation of controversial construction plans for settlements in the West Bank.

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.

"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.

An Israeli planning committee approved the construction plans for the E1 area last month.

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.

The plans have met with particularly strong international criticism.

Under international pressure, Israel has repeatedly postponed its plans for E1 in the past.

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.

"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.