Twenty-one countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Japan, and Australia, issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning Israel’s decision to approve a large-scale colonial expansion in the E1 zone, east of occupied Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank.
The statement described the move as “unacceptable” and a “violation of international law,” warning that it would permanently sever the territorial continuity of any future Palestinian state and render a two-state solution unachievable.
The E1 plan, which includes the construction of over 3,500 units, has long been viewed as a red line by the international community.
Its implementation would link the Ma’ale Adumim illegal colony to Jerusalem, effectively bisecting the West Bank and isolating East Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian cities such as Ramallah and Bethlehem.
Critics argue that this would destroy the geographic foundation of Palestinian statehood and entrench permanent Israeli control over occupied territory.
The joint statement, signed by foreign ministers from across Europe, North America, and Asia, called on the Israeli government to immediately reverse the decision and halt all settlement construction.
The ministers emphasized that unilateral actions like the E1 expansion undermine regional stability, fuel further violence, and obstruct any path toward a negotiated peace.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure behind the plan, has openly declared that the E1 project “buries the idea of a Palestinian state.”
His remarks were cited in the joint statement as evidence of the plan’s intent to dismantle the possibility of a diplomatic resolution.
The ministers warned that such rhetoric and policy decisions threaten not only Palestinian rights but also Israeli security and long-term regional peace.
The statement also urged Israel to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which reaffirms the illegality of settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.
In addition, the signatories called on Israel to lift its financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority, particularly the withholding of clearance revenues, which has deepened the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza.
This coordinated diplomatic response comes amid growing international frustration with Israel’s escalating settlement activity and its broader strategy of land appropriation and demographic engineering.
The E1 plan, frozen for years due to U.S. pressure, was revived under the current Israeli government, which has prioritized expansionist policies and rejected calls for restraint.
The ministers concluded their statement by urging Israel to reconsider its course and recommit to a peaceful resolution based on international law and mutual recognition. They warned that failure to do so would further isolate Israel diplomatically and deepen the crisis on the ground.
In addition, several Palestinians sustained injuries following a violent assault by illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers in Masafer Yatta, located south of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
