Saudi Arabia, seven countries call for immediate halt to Israel’s E1 settlement plan

Eight countries with Muslim-majority populations have condemned Israel's E1 settlement plan in the West Bank. The foreign ministers of Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt released a joint statement expressing their unequivocal rejection of the plan. According to the Jerusalem Post, they said the plan constitutes a "dangerous escalation" that advances settlement expansion and annexation, undermining the geographical contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The ministers warned that the E1 settlement plan threatens the viability of an independent and geographically contiguous Palestinian state. They also condemned violations and acts of violence committed by settlers, with the support of Israeli authorities, against Palestinians and their property. The statement was released after France, Germany, Britain, and Italy released a joint condemnation of the E1 plan, with the UK threatening targeted sanctions.

The countries' joint statement, as reported by multiple outlets including Haaretz and Saudi Gazette, emphasizes that the E1 plan constitutes a direct challenge to international efforts aimed at achieving peace. The plan's rejection is based on concerns that it would undermine the geographical contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly between the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and threaten the realization of an independent Palestinian state.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Saudi Gazette, Middle East Eye, The Peninsula Qatar — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.