Egypt: Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine on Thursday condemned Israel's move to advance the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, warning that the plan threatens prospects for establishing an independent Palestinian state.
According to Anadolu Agency, Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a statement "strongly condemning" Israel's implementation of the settlement project, which aims to divide the West Bank and encircle and isolate occupied East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings. The ministry called on the international community to take serious steps to halt these actions and reaffirmed Egypt's support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Jordan's Foreign Ministry also condemned Israel's decision to issue tenders for the construction of 1,234 settlement units as part of the E1 project east of occupied Jerusalem. Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Fuad Al-Majali stated that Amman "rejects absolutely" the E1 project and Israel's continued settlement plans in the occupied West Bank. He emphasized that such policies undermine international efforts toward a two-state solution.
Al-Majali referenced a July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which affirmed the illegality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and invalidated settlement construction and annexation measures in the occupied West Bank. He urged the international community to compel Israel to halt its "illegitimate expansionist measures."
Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh warned that the E1 settlement project could undermine the foundation of a future Palestinian state. He noted that Israel's issuance of a tender for settlement units marks a transition to preparing the project for actual implementation. Fattouh called on the international community to work to halt Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli rights groups Ir Amim, Bimkom, and Peace Now reported that Israel had issued a tender for the construction of 1,234 settlement units without prior notice to petitioners challenging the project. The E1 plan covers approximately 12 square kilometers east of Jerusalem and seeks to link the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim with Jerusalem through construction on Palestinian land. Critics argue that the project could make a two-state solution impossible.