Capitals, Aug. 21 (SANA) Eight Arab and Muslim countries, along with Spain and Sweden, on Friday condemned Israel’s E1 settlement plan in occupied East Jerusalem, warning that the project threatens to divide the West Bank and undermine the two-state solution.
In a joint statement published by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Türkiye, the UAE, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan strongly condemned Israel’s “illegal settlement policies,” rejecting the E1 plan and associated settlement activities.
The ministers said the E1 plan represents a “dangerous escalation” that would expand settlements, entrench annexation policies, and sever the geographic contiguity of Palestinian territories, particularly between the West Bank and Jerusalem, threatening the establishment of an independent, geographically contiguous and viable Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
Settler violence, international law violations
The ministers noted that settler violence and violations against Palestinians and their property, backed by Israeli occupation authorities, constitute violations of international law and UN resolutions.
The joint statement warned that Israeli settlement measures directly challenge international peace efforts, including President Trump’s peace plan, which rejects annexation and forced displacement, and the mechanisms proposed for its implementation, including the Peace Council. They also cited Trump’s commitment not to allow the annexation of the West Bank.
The ministers called for accountability for settlement-related violations, including imposing sanctions on entities and individuals responsible for illegal settlement activities, including the E1 plan, as well as those supporting or facilitating settlement expansion and annexation policies. They demanded an end to any support or funding contributing to the establishment or expansion of settlements.
Spain, Sweden join condemnation
Spain’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement on its official website, said the Spanish government “strongly condemns the Israeli government’s decision to issue tenders for the construction of more than 1,200 settlement units in the E1 area, which tears apart Palestinian territorial unity and separates East Jerusalem from the West Bank.” Spain reaffirmed its position that all Israeli settlements in occupied territories violate international law and hinder the two-state solution.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said Sweden aligns with the joint statement issued by seven European countries rejecting the E1 plan, calling on Israel to immediately retract the plans and halt all settlement activities, which she said are “illegal under international law” and undermine the two-state solution.
On Thursday, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway issued a joint statement demanding Israel retract the E1 settlement plans.
The E1 plan covers approximately 12 square kilometers east of Jerusalem and seeks to link the illegal Maale Adumim settlement with Jerusalem, effectively cutting geographic contiguity between the northern and southern West Bank and encircling East Jerusalem with a settlement belt that would choke any future possibility of making it the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Kh.A / H.H
