Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the West Bank will remain Israeli territory as his government presses ahead with settlement construction and prepares for what he predicts will be a significant influx of Jewish immigrants.
Speaking at an event in Jerusalem organised by the Binyamin Regional Council, which administers dozens of Israeli settlements, Netanyahu said Jews around the world increasingly understood that “this is our land and it will remain ours,” adding that Israel was preparing for a “major Aliyah.”
The prediction comes despite reports of increased Israeli emigration since the Hamas attacks of October 2023 and the ensuing Gaza war. Netanyahu also highlighted his government’s record in the West Bank, saying it had established or regularised “104 settlements and 160 farms,” and insisted Israel would continue expanding its presence.
Most of the international community regards Israeli settlements established in territory occupied since the 1967 war as illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
Tensions intensified after Israel recently opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes as part of the controversial E1 development east of Jerusalem, within a wider project planned to contain more than 3,400 homes.
Critics say E1 would connect East Jerusalem with Ma’ale Adumim while further fragmenting Palestinian territory and disrupting links between Ramallah and Bethlehem. Eight Arab and Muslim countries have denounced the project as a “dangerous escalation,” while the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Commission and several European governments warned it would further undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
Netanyahu has repeatedly raised the possibility of annexing West Bank territory, while members of his governing coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have openly called for Israeli sovereignty to be formally extended over the area.
