Cairo: Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine on Thursday denounced Israel's advancement of the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, warning that the initiative threatens the prospects for establishing a viable Palestinian state. In a statement, Egypt's Foreign Ministry condemned the project, asserting that it aims to divide the West Bank and isolate occupied East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings.
According to Anadolu Agency, the ministry urged the international community to take action to halt these violations while reaffirming Cairo's support for an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders. 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.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Fuad al-Majali stated that Amman rejects the E1 project and Israel's ongoing settlement activities in the occupied West Bank. He emphasized that such policies entrench the occupation and undermine international efforts toward a two-state solution. Al-Majali referenced an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice affirming the illegality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and the invalidity of settlement construction and annexation measures in the West Bank.
The Palestinian presidency warned that tenders for Israel's E1 settlement, along with increasing attacks by occupiers on Palestinians and their property, were pushing the region toward a dangerous and uncontrollable situation. Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh stated that lasting peace and stability require Jerusalem and the complete end of the Israeli occupation, emphasizing that partial plans lacking a real political horizon will not bring security or peace.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission warned that Israel was moving the E1 plan from annexation maps to implementation. The E1 area occupies a strategic corridor between the central and southern occupied West Bank and between Jerusalem and its Palestinian surroundings, threatening to fragment Palestinian territorial continuity.
Israeli rights groups Ir Amim, Bimkom, and Peace Now reported that Israel reneged on its commitment regarding the E1 project by issuing a tender for the construction of 1,234 settlement units without prior notice to petitioners challenging the plan. The E1 plan covers roughly 12 square kilometers east of Jerusalem and seeks to link the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim with Jerusalem through the construction of Jewish-only housing on Palestinian land.