Around twenty Western countries, together with the European Union, have strongly condemned the decision of Israel’s Higher Planning Committee to approve new settlements in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem— a strategic zone whose development would jeopardize the viability of a future Palestinian state.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the signatories described the measure as “unacceptable” and recalled that it constitutes a violation of international law. The text stressed that the plan promoted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich “would make a two-state solution impossible by dividing any future Palestinian state and restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem.”
“This brings no benefit to the Israeli people. On the contrary, it risks undermining security and fueling further violence and instability, taking us even further away from peace,” the statement warned, urging the Israeli government to revoke the project before it advances further in the approval process.
The foreign ministers also reminded that Israel’s unilateral action contravenes UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which prohibits the construction of settlements in occupied territories. They further called for lifting the financial restrictions imposed on the Palestinian Authority.
The declaration was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom, as well as by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
The E1 area has historically been one of the most sensitive points in the conflict, as its development would connect Jerusalem with the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, fragmenting the territorial continuity of the West Bank. The international community warns that its urbanization would close the door on a two-state solution, a central principle of international diplomacy in the Middle East.
