Israeli minister: Ma’aleh Adumim to remain part of Israel

Israeli minister: Ma’aleh Adumim to remain part of Israel

Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli minister of education, has said that the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, which cuts the West Bank into two halves, would remain part of Israel in any future political settlement with the Palestinians.

Retaining the settlement under Israeli control would effectively make the declaration of a Palestinian state impossible.

The same position was voiced by the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yona Metzger, who was speaking on Monday in the same ceremony called “Mimouna” marked on the first day after conclusion of the Jewish Passover.

Metzger said, “We tell American president Obama from Ma’aleh Adumim that we will pray in (occupied) Jerusalem next year also”.

All ministers in the government of Benjamin Netanyahu reiterate the same stance about retaining what they call major settlement blocs in the West Bank in any future agreement.