Update:: Palestinian Presidency Welcomes.. 21 Countries Condemn the "E1" Settlement Plan and Britain Summons Israeli Ambassador

SadaNews - 21 countries issued a joint statement condemning Israel's final approval of the E1 settlement plan in the occupied West Bank.

The statement called for Israel to immediately retract the plan, emphasizing that it is unacceptable and constitutes a blatant violation of international law.

It stated that these countries, along with the United Kingdom and France, in a joint statement today, Thursday, said that the settlement plan in the E1 area east of occupied Jerusalem, which Israel approved on Wednesday, is "unacceptable" and constitutes a "violation of international law".

The statement was issued 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, and the United Kingdom, in addition to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell.

The foreign ministers said in their joint statement: "The decision of the High Planning Committee in Israel to approve plans for building settlements in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and represents a violation of international law. We condemn this decision and demand in the strongest terms its immediate retraction."

The statement added: "Minister (Betzallel) Smotrich said that this plan will make the two-state solution impossible by dividing the territory of the Palestinian state and restricting Palestinians' ability to access Jerusalem. This will not benefit the Israeli people. Rather, it threatens to undermine security, ignite further violence and instability, and moves us further away from peace."

It continued: "The Israeli government still has an opportunity to stop taking any further steps in the construction plan in the E1 area, and we urge it to retract this plan as soon as possible."

The joint statement asserted that "any unilateral action taken by the Israeli government undermines our collective desire for security and prosperity in the Middle East. The Israeli government must stop building settlements, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2334, and remove its restrictions on Palestinian Authority funds (customs revenues)."

The danger of the plan lies in that it effectively divides the West Bank into two parts, separating the north from the south, significantly undermining the possibility of establishing a viable future Palestinian state.

The plan includes the construction of about 3,500 new settlement units in a sensitive area located east of Jerusalem, in a step that the international community considers a major obstacle to peace.

In response, the British Foreign Office summoned the Israeli ambassador in London, Tzipi Hotovely, for a rebuke session regarding this plan.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian presidency welcomed the joint statement issued by 21 countries, which affirmed that the settlement plan in the occupied West Bank approved by Israel on Wednesday is "unacceptable" and constitutes a "violation of international law."

The presidency said in a statement that this international statement issued by the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden is an important and necessary step, which should be followed by pressure on the Israeli occupying state to force it to retract these dangerous settlement plans that separate southern West Bank from its center.