Jerusalem: Over 20 states condemned on Thursday the Israeli occupation authorities' approval of the E1 colonial settlement plan in the occupied West Bank. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of 21 countries, as well as the EU, condemned Israel's E1 settlement plan and called for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of Jerusalem, was criticized as unacceptable and a violation of international law by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The ministers warned that the decision does not benefit the Israeli people and risks undermining security while fueling further violence and instability, taking the region further away from peace. They noted that the Israeli government still has an opportunity to halt the E1 plan and urged them to retract it urgently.
The statement affirmed that any unilateral action by the Israeli government undermines the collective desire for security and prosperity in the Middle East. The ministers also urged the Israeli government to stop settlement construction in line with UNSC Resolution 2334 and remove restrictions on the finances of the Palestinian Authority.
The approval of the E1 colonial settlement project involves the construction of 3,400 new colonial units on occupied Palestinian territory. Most of the units will be built near the existing Maale Adumim colony, aiming to connect colonies in the occupied West Bank with occupied East Jerusalem. Additionally, the plan includes 342 units in a new settlement in Asael, in the south of the West Bank.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the project as an action to 'erase' a Palestinian state, stating that every settlement, neighbourhood, and housing unit contributes to this goal.
