The UK and 21 international partner countries have strongly reacted against Israel's planned “E1 Project” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Reports indicate that in a joint statement issued by 22 states, including the UK, Canada, and European Union countries, this decision was assessed as a “violation of international law”.
The joint statement noted that Israel's settlement plans in the E1 area would make a two-state solution impossible. It was emphasized: “This decision is unacceptable and must be immediately withdrawn.” The statement also drew attention to the words of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who stated that the plan would fragment the Palestinian state and restrict Palestinians' access to Jerusalem.
The UK government took a diplomatic step by summoning Israel's Ambassador to London, Tzipi Hotovely, to the Foreign Office. Officials stated that the implementation of the E1 project would divide the future Palestinian state into two and severely weaken the prospects for a two-state solution.
The “E1 Project” aims to connect the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, located near Azariya, a historic Palestinian neighborhood of East Jerusalem, to the western part of Jerusalem. For this purpose, tens of thousands of dunams of Palestinian land have been confiscated, and the construction of over 4,000 illegal housing units and hotels is planned in the area.
According to experts, this project aims to sever the connection between East Jerusalem and the West Bank, thereby isolating Palestinian territories.
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