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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Friday to build a "Jewish Israeli state" in the occupied West Bank, directly challenging French President Emmanuel Macron's calls for Palestinian state recognition and dismissing potential international sanctions.
"They will recognize a Palestinian state on paper, while we will build the Jewish Israeli state on the ground," Katz stated during a visit to Sa-Nur, an illegal outpost in the northern West Bank that the Israeli government recently designated as an official settlement.
Katz made his remarks in open defiance of international law, warning: "Don't threaten us with sanctions. You will not make us bow. The State of Israel will not kneel before threats."
Defense Minister Katz concluded his remarks by dismissing potential consequences from the international community, stating: "The paper will be thrown into the trash bin of history, and the State of Israel will flourish and prosper."
The defense minister's comments came after the Israeli Security Cabinet secretly approved the establishment of 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now revealed Thursday that 12 of the newly approved settlements were previously unauthorized outposts and farming sites established in recent years.
"This is a decisive response to the terrorist organizations that are trying to harm and weaken our hold on this land," Katz said in a video published by his office. "It is also a clear message to Macron and his associates."
Katz's statements directly responded to President Macron's assertion Friday that recognizing a Palestinian state is a "moral duty" and "political necessity."
Speaking during a visit to Singapore, Macron reiterated that France may move toward official recognition during an upcoming international conference focused on the two-state solution.
The French president also suggested that European countries should "harden the collective position" against Israel if it did not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israel's foreign ministry accused Macron of carrying out a "crusade against the Jewish state," stating that instead of applying pressure on "terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state."
Multiple European nations condemned Israel's approval of new settlements, with several countries issuing statements Friday criticizing the decision as illegal under international law.
Switzerland's Foreign Ministry stated: "Switzerland condemns the approval of 22 new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory by Israel. They are illegal under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and a major obstacle to peace."
Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called the decision "completely unacceptable," stating: "The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been clear that the occupation is unlawful and must end."
Spain's Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation, stating: "The settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, undermine the viability of the two-state solution, and are a threat to peace."
Madrid also expressed "deepest dismay" over the intensification of Israeli military operations in West Bank refugee camps and the forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians.
Finland's Foreign Minister Eline Valtonen rejected the settlement approval, stating: "Creating deliberate obstacles to the two-state solution is unacceptable and runs counter to international efforts to advance peace."
According to Peace Now, there are currently 156 illegal settlements and 224 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with over 736,000 illegal Israeli settlers living on occupied Palestinian land.
The international community, including the U.N., considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decadeslong occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In a related news, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported Friday that it was treating three shrapnel injuries from bullets in the Palestinian village of Sanur, near Sa-Nur, including two girls aged between 10 and 12 with head wounds.
The Israeli army said that during a patrol, "several suspicious vehicles accelerated toward the forces," who "fired warning shots into the air," adding that the vehicles withdrew and "no hits were identified." According to Palestinian figures, illegal settlers staged 341 attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank last month.
In a related development, a Saudi diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan would lead a delegation to the West Bank city of Ramallah, becoming the first Saudi foreign minister to visit the West Bank since Israel first occupied it in 1967.
Saudi Arabia was reportedly close to recognizing Israel before the Gaza war began, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated last year that the kingdom would not do so without an independent Palestinian state.
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