On July 14, just a week after Modi’s Jakarta remarks , Israel’s security cabinet approved a budget of $434 million to establish 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel’s settler expansion has drawn criticism abroad, but the same chasm between word and deed is visible closer to home. Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into Areas A and B , with a Palestinian population, and Area C, under Israel. Building the corridor would sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, splitting Palestinian territory into two disconnected halves rather than one contiguous whole. It is possible that many, including India, genuinely believe restating the two-state principle keeps it alive as a diplomatic anchor.