Türkiye, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany have condemned Israel’s approval of thousands of new illegal settlement units in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, warning it will undermine the two-state solution and violate international law.
On Thursday, Israeli media reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the construction of 3,401 settler units in Ma’ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and 3,515 more in surrounding areas.
The project aims to split the West Bank into northern and southern parts, isolating East Jerusalem.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the move "disregards international law and United Nations resolutions" and "targets the territorial integrity of the State of Palestine, the basis for a two-state solution, and hopes for lasting peace."
It reaffirmed Türkiye’s support for an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called the expansion "a new violation of international law" that "undermines the viability of the two-state solution, the only path to peace," also condemning settler violence.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the "appalling" situation in Gaza is being worsened by Israeli actions, further jeopardising the two-state solution."
He said he discussed with his Canadian and French counterparts the need for an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages, and increased humanitarian aid.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry urged Israel to "stop settlement construction" and said it "strongly rejects" the plan to add thousands of new homes in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced the decision as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s "Greater Israel" vision, warning it would entrench the occupation and eliminate prospects for a Palestinian state.
The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.
In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements.
UN officials have repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution — a framework widely viewed as key to ending the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
