Jerusalem: The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Thursday urged international action to stop new settlement tenders in the E1 plan, east of occupied Jerusalem, warning that such projects escalate tensions and undermine peace prospects.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the ministry stated that the E1 settlement plan reflects the Israeli occupation's idea of "Greater Israel," criticizing the occupation for offering bids to build thousands of settlement homes in Jerusalem and the nearby area.
The ministry emphasized that building in E1 hinders the realization of a Palestinian state, segments the West Bank into isolated territories, destroys unity, and facilitates the Israeli occupation's control of the area in practice.
The ministry accused the Israeli occupation of committing crimes of genocide, displacement, and annexation through these tenders. It viewed these actions as an extension of Prime Minister Netanyahu's "Greater Israel" rhetoric and part of a long-term strategy to eliminate Palestinian sovereignty.
Israeli occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently approved 3,401 settlement units in E1, a project spanning 12,000 dunams to link Ma'ale Adumim, housing 36,000 settlers, with Jerusalem, further integrating it into the Israeli occupation settlement network.
Despite strong Arab and international opposition, the plan has broad Israeli occupation support at all political levels, forming part of the occupation's "Greater Jerusalem" vision to expand settlement control and permanently alter the area's demographic and geographic landscape.