Major European Nations and UN Strongly Condemn Israel's E1 Settlement Tender

Major European nations, including Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, along with the United Nations, have pushed back after Israel unexpectedly launched a tender for construction contractors to build Jewish settlements in the 'E1' area connecting East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The European countries summoned Israeli diplomats to their foreign ministries and issued a joint statement condemning the move, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern and strongly urged the immediate cancellation of the tender.

E1 (East-1) is an area of approximately 12 square kilometers located between East Jerusalem and the massive West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, this area belongs to 'Area C,' where Israel holds full security and administrative control.

A central issue is the isolation of East Jerusalem. Palestine intends to establish East Jerusalem as the capital of its future independent state. If the E1 area is filled with Israeli settlements, East Jerusalem will be completely cut off from other Palestinian areas in the West Bank, becoming an isolated island surrounded by Israeli settlements. The destruction of territorial contiguity and the isolation of East Jerusalem, intended to be the capital, would make the establishment of a geographically viable Palestinian state virtually impossible.

The international community has opposed the construction of E1 settlements because the project undermines the territorial contiguity of the West Bank and directly contradicts the 'Two-State Solution,' the fundamental principle of the international community aimed at the peaceful coexistence of Israel and Palestine.