Dubai (Diplomat.so) - The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Muslim countries on Friday, August 21, rejected Israel's E1 settlement plan east of occupied East Jerusalem and demanded an immediate halt to settlement expansion.
The joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar and Egypt, bringing together governments from the Middle East and Asia in opposition to the project.
The ministers "unequivocally condemn” what they described as Israel’s continued illegal settlement policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and "categorically reject” the E1 plan and associated settlement activity. They also condemned violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property.
The statement said settlement activity violates international law and relevant United Nations resolutions and poses risks to regional and international security. The ministers maintained that Palestinian rights, including the right to self-determination, cannot be diminished by settlement expansion.
Their objections focused particularly on the geographical implications of E1, an area east of Jerusalem whose development has long drawn international scrutiny because of its location between East Jerusalem and parts of the occupied West Bank.
"The E1 settlement plan constitutes a dangerous escalation,” the ministers said, warning that further development would undermine territorial continuity between the West Bank and East Jerusalem and threaten the viability of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The ministers also linked their objections to current international diplomatic efforts, saying settlement expansion and annexation measures challenge initiatives intended to establish a negotiated peace and prevent forced displacement.
According to the joint statement reviewed by Diplomat News Network, the eight governments backed accountability measures against entities and individuals responsible for illegal settlement activity. They called for appropriate international measures and sanctions and urged an end to financial or other support contributing to the establishment or expansion of settlements.
The ministers called on the United Nations Security Council, individual states and other international actors to take "urgent and effective measures” to halt settlement expansion and protect Palestinian rights.
The statement comes amid renewed attention to E1 after Israeli authorities advanced tenders for more than 1,200 settlement housing units connected to the project. The location makes the dispute particularly significant to diplomatic efforts centered on maintaining a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.
The eight countries reaffirmed the two-state solution as the only viable path toward what they described as a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. They warned that measures weakening that framework could intensify regional tensions and further narrow prospects for a negotiated settlement.
