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Is the two-state solution dead?

Palestinians are ringing alarm bells in worry that if the E1 settlements in East Jerusalem materialize, the two-state solution would be eliminated.
An employee of Peace Now, an Israeli NGO that tracks and opposes Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, works near a placard at their offices in Tel Aviv January 31, 2016. The placard in Hebrew reads, "Love Israel. Against the occupation". Picture taken January 31, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX25Z92

The possibility of a game-changing series of Israeli settlements east of Jerusalem has raised alarm bells in various departments of the Palestinian government. The area in question, commonly referred to as E1, threatens to physically cut off from the north and the south of the West Bank from one another.

Palestinian worries were further triggered when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet Jan. 24 that Israel will give “unconditional support” to the building of West Bank settlements. Netanyahu’s statement also coincided with revelations by the Israeli group Peace Now of plans for new settlements that will be built in sensitive areas of the occupied territories.

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