Israeli minister says two-state solution is at dead-end

Israel’s Housing Minister said on Thursday that the idea of the two-state solution has reached a dead-end and the search for an alternative is a “must”. Uri Ariel, a member of Jewish Home Party, claimed that the coalition group has just such an alternative plan, starting with the annexation of “Area C”.

Following the Oslo Accords, the occupied West Bank was divided into areas of influence. So-called Area C covers more than 60 per cent of the occupied territory and is under full Israeli control.

As far as the 350,000 Jewish settlers living in the West Bank are concerned, Ariel said that their position is not up for discussion. “There are no plans to evacuate them,” he insisted.