The foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia on Friday condemned Israel’s continued settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories and rejected its E1 settlement plan east of occupied east Jerusalem.
In a joint statement, the ministers also denounced settler violence against Palestinians and their property, saying it was carried out with the support of Israeli authorities.
They said the E1 project would accelerate settlement expansion and annexation, sever territorial links between the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and threaten the creation of a viable, geographically contiguous Palestinian state along the lines that existed before the 1967 war, with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The ministers said the project violated international law and relevant United Nations resolutions and posed a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.
They also said the settlement plan challenged international peace efforts, including US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which they said rejects annexation and forced displacement. The ministers cited Trump’s stated opposition to the annexation of the West Bank.
They reaffirmed that a two-state solution remained the only viable path to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.
The ministers called for international accountability, including sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for illegal settlement activity, as well as those supporting or facilitating settlement expansion and annexation.
They urged an immediate halt to the E1 plan, the cancellation of measures adopted under it and an end to all settlement activity and other steps aimed at changing the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory.
They also called on the UN Security Council and the international community to take urgent action to stop settlement expansion, protect Palestinians and uphold their right to self-determination and statehood under international law.
