In a joint declaration signed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the foreign ministers of 25 countries including Greece condemned Israel’s plans to build settlements in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, calling them “unacceptable and a violation of international law.”
The statement urges Israel to withdraw its settlement plans immediately, stressing that such actions “undermine security and fuel violence.”
Countries Signing the Declaration
The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, France, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, and Finland, along with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who also serves as Vice President of the European Commission.
Full Statement
“The approval of plans for the construction of settlements in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, by Israel’s Higher Planning Committee is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of international law.
We strongly condemn this decision and demand its immediate cancellation.
As Minister Smotrich himself admitted, this plan will make a two-state solution impossible, dividing a future Palestinian state and limiting Palestinian access to Jerusalem. Such actions bring no benefit to the Israeli people. On the contrary, they undermine security, fuel violence and instability, and push us further away from the prospect of peace.
The Israeli government still has the opportunity to halt the continuation of the E1 plan. We urge it to withdraw it urgently.
Unilateral actions by the Israeli government undermine our shared desire for security and prosperity in the Middle East. The Israeli government must end settlement construction, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2334, and lift the financial restrictions it has imposed on the Palestinian Authority.”
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