Ghaza( The COW News Digital)Twenty-one countries, including several of Israel’s long-time allies, have strongly condemned and rejected Israel’s controversial settlement expansion plan in the occupied West Bank. The plan, known as the E1 project, seeks to build housing for over 3,000 Jewish settlers in a strategic corridor near Jerusalem, a move critics say would effectively bury hopes for a future Palestinian state.
According to international media, nations such as the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, and Australia — all traditionally friendly to Israel — joined others in issuing a joint statement calling the plan “unacceptable.” The statement urged Israel to immediately halt the project, warning that it poses a grave threat to peace in the Middle East.
“These actions undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution and risk further escalation of tensions in an already fragile region,” the countries declared. “The settlement plan must be abandoned in order to preserve the possibility of peace.”
The E1 area, located east of Jerusalem, has long been a flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian politics. Analysts say construction there would effectively cut the West Bank in half, separating northern and southern Palestinian territories, while also severing East Jerusalem from the rest of a potential Palestinian state. For Palestinians, this would mark the final blow to aspirations for sovereignty with East Jerusalem as their capital.
The project recently gained formal approval from Israel’s Ministry of Defense, drawing sharp criticism from human rights organizations, the European Union, and the United Nations. Critics argue that expanding Jewish settlements on occupied land violates international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Palestinian leaders have described the move as “a declaration of war against the two-state solution.” They argue that Israel’s actions are part of a broader strategy to entrench permanent control over Palestinian land while making negotiations irrelevant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended settlement expansion in the past, framing it as a matter of national security and the “natural right” of Jewish people to live in what he calls the historic homeland. However, with even Israel’s Western allies publicly opposing the E1 project, pressure on Netanyahu’s government is intensifying.
As regional tensions remain high, observers warn that the settlement approval could spark renewed violence and deepen mistrust, further complicating already stalled peace talks.
