Amman/Cairo, Aug. 20 (SANA) Jordan and Egypt condemned Israel’s plan Thursday to build 1,234 settlement units under the E1 project east of occupied Jerusalem, warning it would divide the West Bank and undermine prospects for a Palestinian state.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fouad al-Majali called the project a “flagrant violation” of international law and international humanitarian law and a violation of Palestinians’ right to self-determination and an independent state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.
Majali said continued settlement expansion entrenches the occupation and undermines the two-state solution, citing UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the illegality of the occupation and settlement construction.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the E1 project aims to divide the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings, threatening territorial continuity and prospects for an independent, viable Palestinian state.
Egypt rejected attempts to impose a fait accompli through settlement expansion and urged international action to halt the violations, reaffirming support for a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the E1 project, warning it would effectively sever the northern and southern West Bank and pose an “existential threat” to the two-state solution.
The E1 plan seeks to connect the Maale Adumim settlement with occupied Jerusalem, effectively cutting geographical continuity between the northern and southern West Bank. Maale Adumim lies about seven kilometers east of occupied Jerusalem.
R.D/MF
