Ireland’s Tanaiste, the EU’s foreign chief, as well as foreign ministers from countries including Japan, Australia and France have protested against Israel’s plans for new settlements in the West Bank close to Jerusalem.
In a joint statement signed by more than twenty countries, foreign ministers have condemned Israel’s so-called E1 plan.
“The decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and a violation of international law.
We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms”, the statement reads.
There are fears that the plan could further delay peace efforts, and split the West Bank almost in half.
The joint statement says that the E1 plan “brings no benefits to the Israeli people. Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace.”
A similar plan has been discussed by Israel back in the 1990s but was never enacted.
The group of foreign ministers, including Ireland’s Tanaiste, Simon Harris TD, and the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas are urging Israel to reconsider.
“The Government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan.
Unilateral action by the Israeli government undermines our collective desire for security and prosperity in the Middle East. The Israeli government must stop settlement construction in line with UNSC Resolution 2334 and remove their restrictions on the finances of the Palestinian Authority.”
The joint statement published this afternoon has been signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and EU’s the High Representative for Foreign Affairs.