This picture taken from a position on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip shows destroyed buildings in the besieged Palestinian territory at sunset on August 21, 2025. (Photo by Jack Guez / AFP)
In a joint statement issued today, August 21, 2025, 21 countries have slammed Israel's approval of a settlement plan in the occupied West Bank as unacceptable and a violation of international law.
The statement, signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, along with High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, strongly condemned Israel's decision.
The decision by Israel's Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in Area E1, east of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of international law, the ministers said, strongly condemning the decision and calling for its immediate reversal.
The statement further urged Israel to seize the opportunity to halt any further steps toward building in Area E1, emphasizing that unilateral actions by the Israeli government undermine the collective international desire to achieve security and prosperity in the Middle East.
The ministers also called on Israel to cease settlement construction, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
For its part, the Palestinian Presidency welcomed the joint statement, affirming that it represents an important and necessary step that must be followed by pressure on the occupying Israeli state to force it to withdraw from these dangerous settlement plans, which would separate the southern West Bank from its central region.
