US EditionCanada Among Countries Condemning Israel Settlement Plan as ‘a Violation of International Law’
Canada and 21 countries condemned Israel's final approval of a 3,500-unit expansion in the E1 area, citing risks to Palestinian territorial continuity and peace prospects.
- On Wednesday, the Israeli government gave final approval for a 3,500-apartment expansion in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, prompting Canada and 21 other countries on Thursday to condemn the plan as a violation of international law and call for its immediate reversal.
- The expansion traces back to a plan frozen for over two decades due to U.S. pressure, with E1 east of Jerusalem linking Ramallah and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
- The ministers' joint statement, signed by foreign ministers of Australia, France, Japan, the U.K. and the European Commission foreign affairs representative, condemned Bezalel Smotrich, who said the plan `finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state` and faces sanctions for promoting settler violence.
- Practical timelines show infrastructure work could start in the next few months with home construction beginning in around a year, while Canada plans recognition at next month's United Nations General Assembly based on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to hold elections next year.
- Observers say the approval deepens West Bank division and escalates settler attacks and evictions, while checkpoints limit movement between Ramallah and Bethlehem, heightening regional violence.
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11 Articles
Canada among countries condemning Israel settlement plan as ‘a violation of international law’
Canada’s foreign minister has joined officials from several other countries in demanding an 'immediate reversal in the strongest terms' to Israel’s plan to settle an area in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, also known as 'E1.'
The Foreign Ministers of 21 countries, including Spain, as well as the High Representative of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, issued a joint communiqué on Thursday urging the Israeli Government to “urgently withdraw” its settlement construction plan next to East Jerusalem, approved this week.
An international coalition led by Britain condemned the approval of the construction plan in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, calling it a "violation of international law" • MK Illoz responded: "Are you going to tell us where Jews are allowed to build in the Land of Israel? Not going to happen" • The countries called for a halt to settlement construction and the lifting of restrictions on the Palestinian Authority
Twenty-two countries, including the UK, Canada, and the EU, condemned Israel's E1 settlement project in East Jerusalem. International partners called for its withdrawal, saying, "This decision violates international law and makes a two-state solution impossible."
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