Reference News Network reported on September 21 The German Frankfurter Zeitung website published an article on September 20 entitled "Palestine has little left", which says that when more international recognition is reached, Palestine has actually little left.

About three-quarters of the UN member states have already recognized the Palestinian state.Now important roles on the international stage such as Australia, France, Britain will follow.The Palestinian Authority calls it a ¡°historic turning point¡± and predicts that the 58-year occupation of Israel is about to become history.

But this deliberately expressed optimism is purely fantasy, and the reality is cruel: as more and more countries recognize the Palestinian state, Palestine is becoming more and more incapable of calling it a state.

The article says that Palestine is divided into three parts: the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.These three areas are home to about 5.5 million Palestinians, but their situation is different.This is because East Jerusalem has been annexed by Israel; the West Bank is occupied to varying degrees, with half a million Israeli settlers living there; and Gaza has been ruled by Palestinians since the Israeli army withdrew in 2005.

The face of Palestinian cities

Gaza on the coast is undoubtedly the most severe situation. Israel has been fighting there for nearly two years since it suffered an unprecedented and brutal terrorist attack by Hamas. For some time, military operations against Hamas have been virtually endless, with devastating consequences for the local population. More and more people believe that Israel is fighting a war of destruction against the Palestinians in Gaza and engaging in genocide. The Israeli government and army categorically deny it, but do not deny that they want to expel residents from Gaza. This is partly pretended as a humanitarian measure.

Netanyahu's speech picture

The Palestinian people are in danger not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. As a direct consequence of Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel, there has been a surge in atrocities by Israeli armed settlers. These people break into the villages of poor Palestinian herders day and night, harass the residents, steal their flocks and deprive them of their livelihood. Nowadays, large areas of land have become "forbidden zones" for Palestinians. The outside world feels that the Israeli military police are cooperating with these settlers, but the Israeli authorities have done little to dispel this impression.

The article stated that in recent years, the nature of the Israeli occupation has undergone significant changes and is close to what experts call "de facto annexation": although Palestine still does not nominally belong to Israel, more and more regulations and administrative structures are following Israel's example. Settlers have considerable influence in Netanyahu's government, and these people are getting closer and closer to its goal of de facto annexing the occupied territories to Israel. But it is unknown whether they can do the same legally soon.

Also unknown is the fate of the Palestinians. Israel certainly does not want to grant citizenship to Palestinians. The current trend is that Palestinians' freedom of movement is increasingly restricted. For example, in recent months, the Israeli military has built yellow iron gates on many roads, which can block roads, villages and towns at any time. The Palestinian Authority says there are currently more than 1,200 such yellow iron gates in the West Bank.

Israeli Treasury Minister Smotrich recently proposed the annexation of 82% of the land of the West Bank. According to the map he presented, only six towns were excluded. That is, this is what a Palestinian state might look like: 6 squares of land blocked by the Yellow Iron Gate.

Extended reading

Netanyahu: There will be no Palestinian state

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to advance the plan to build a ¡°E1 Zone¡± Jewish settlement on the West Bank and declared that ¡°there will be no Palestinian state.¡±

Just a few days ago, Israeli fighter jets launched a ¡°precision strike¡± on members of the leadership of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Doha, Qatar.

Local time September 9, 2025 in Doha, Qatar, after the explosion, thick smoke rolls (video)

Netanyahu speaks badly.

Netanyahu signed the agreement at a ceremony held at the West Bank Jewish settlement in Ma'al-Addum. A statement issued by the prime minister's office that evening showed that Netanyahu said at the ceremony: "We will fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this land belongs to us."

According to the Israeli Times, Israeli far-right politician and Treasury Minister Smotrich told Netanyahu at the same ceremony that Israel would soon celebrate "the annexation of the West Bank."

In mid-August, Smotrich issued a statement stating that he plans to approve the construction of about 3,400 settlement housing units in the "E1 Zone" between East Jerusalem and Ma'a'ar-Admin. Subsequently, the housing construction plan was approved by the Civil Affairs Administration's senior planning committee under the Ministry of Defense. Israeli media said the move would divide the West Bank into two, and make it impossible for the Palestinian regions of East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah to unite.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel's move would weaken the possibility of implementing the "two-state plan", make it difficult for the Palestinian state to, undermine its geographical and demographic unity, and divide the occupied West Bank into isolated, geographically unconnected areas.

This is the Israeli-planned "E1 Zone" filmed on August 26 from the Jewish settlement site of Ma'ale Aduming on the West Bank and Jerusalem (at a distance).

Actions condemned

It is widely believed that the advancement of Israeli settlement plans in the "E1 Zone" will not only exacerbate the Israeli contradictions, but will also further plunge Israel into diplomatic isolation.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement in mid-August that France strongly condemned the Israeli decision and urged Israel to abandon its plan to seriously violate international law. European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, David Rami, UK Foreign Minister, and Germany¡¯s Foreign Minister, Vadoufour, have also said that Israel¡¯s move clearly violates international law and makes the ¡°two-state plan¡± impossible and must be stopped immediately.

In addition, in response to the Israeli assault on Qatar's "precise strike" on senior members of Hamas, the international community has voiced condemnation, saying that Israel's move is "unacceptable", not only violates international law and violates Qatar's sovereignty, but also further endangers the regional situation.

This photo released by the Israeli National Security Administration (SIMBET) shows that on September 9, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu (Central) and the Israeli Defense Minister Katz (left) were in a conversation within a ZIMBET command center.

The United Nations Security Council issued a press statement on Friday condemning the airstrikes in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and expressing its solidarity with Qatar, stressing its support for Qatar¡¯s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The United States has long defended Israel in the Security Council, vetoing a draft resolution condemning Israel or detrimental to Israel. Some media say that the United States rarely agreed to the statement, reflecting U.S. President Trump's dissatisfaction with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's order to launch attacks on the territory of U.S. ally Qatar.

The ¡°two-country¡± program

Since late July, countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have repeatedly expressed plans or preparations to recognize the Palestinian state. French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media on August 20 that France and Saudi Arabia will jointly host a ¡°two-country plan¡± meeting in September, implementing the ¡°two-country plan¡± as ¡°the only feasible way.¡±

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Britain on the 10th and met with Prime Minister Stammer, during which the two argued on issues such as Britain's preparation to recognize the Palestinian state and the Israeli military to advance military operations in the Gaza Strip.

A spokesman for the British Prime Minister¡¯s office said Stammer condemned Israeli airstrikes on Doha, Qatar¡¯s capital, during talks, saying it was ¡°an open violation of the sovereignty of an important partner¡± and did not contribute to achieving the peace that parties were eager to see. At the same time, the British side ¡°exhorted¡± Israel to change its policy against the Gaza Strip, saying that Israel must lift its blockade and stop its military offensive to prevent ¡°animal-induced famine further worsen¡±.