Over 20 nations join EU and UN in opposing Israel’s E1 settlement plan
The United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and 18 other countries have condemned Israel’s plan to build an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, calling it a violation of international law and a major obstacle to a two-state solution for Palestinians.
In a joint statement released Thursday, the 21 countries said:
“We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The plan targets a 12-square-kilometre tract east of Jerusalem, known as E1, where Israel intends to construct 3,400 new homes for settlers. The development would sever the West Bank from East Jerusalem and connect existing Israeli settlements, further restricting Palestinian access to East Jerusalem—considered the preferred capital of a future Palestinian state.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tánaiste <a href="https://twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SimonHarrisTD</a> has joined 21 counterparts from Europe and globally in condemning plans for settlement construction in the E1 area of the West Bank. These plans are a violation of international law & a fundamental threat to the two-state solution - they must be reversed. <a href="https://t.co/FTmIbDZbEv">pic.twitter.com/FTmIbDZbEv</a></p>— Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfatirl/status/1958553472841679120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 21-country coalition includes Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
The nations warned that the E1 plan risks undermining security, fueling violence, and further destabilizing the region, while providing no benefits to Israelis.
Opposition to the settlement also comes from the Palestinian Authority, the European Commission, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The European Union stated on August 14 that ongoing settler violence and unilateral Israeli actions are worsening tensions and eroding prospects for peace.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended the plan, claiming settlements like E1 will eventually erase Palestine from the map, despite growing international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
“This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise,” Smotrich said last week.
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