Senior Israeli minister: Palestinians will be governed by Jordan

Israel's deputy defence minister on Thursday said there will never be a Palestinian state and that Palestinians will be governed by Jordan. "The Jewish people are not settlers in the West Bank but Israel will make the Palestinians settlers and Jordan will be the one taking control over Palestinians and that's it," Danny Danon told Israel's Channel 1. Asked about the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is trying to restart negotiations for a two-state solution, the Knesset member said there would never be a Palestinian state, whether Kerry visited or not. Israel will control the empty land in the West Bank and turn Palestinian population centers into Jewish settlements, Danon said. He added that the Israeli government and the Knesset shared his opinions, even if they did not admit it publicly. Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian member of the Knesset, was asked to respond to Danon's remarks. Tibi told Channel 1 that Danon was the most honest extremist in Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu's government as he did not hide Israel's plans. Meanwhile, MK Ofer Shelah warned that Israel was becoming like South Africa under apartheid. He said settlements in the West Bank were an obstacle to peace, and that "the occupation corrupts Israeli society."