Amman, Aug. 21 (Petra)-- Foreign ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt have strongly condemned Israel’s continued illegal settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territory and rejected the "E1" settlement plan and related settlement activities east of occupied East Jerusalem.
In a joint statement, the ministers also renewed their condemnation of violations and acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers, with the support of Israeli occupation authorities, against the Palestinian people and their property.
They stressed that such practices in no way diminish the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights, constitute violations of international law and relevant UN resolutions, and pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.
The ministers warned that the E1 settlement plan represents a dangerous escalation that would advance settlement expansion and annexation, undermine the territorial contiguity of the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly between the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and threaten the viability of an independent, geographically contiguous and viable Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
They said the measures constitute a direct challenge to international efforts to achieve peace, particularly President Donald Trump’s comprehensive peace plan, which includes an unequivocal rejection of annexation and forced displacement, as well as mechanisms envisaged for its implementation, including through the Board of Peace. They also reaffirmed President Trump’s firm commitment to preventing the annexation of the West Bank in pursuit of stability and an end to the conflict.
The ministers reiterated that the two-state solution, based on international law and relevant UN resolutions, remains the only viable path to achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.
They warned that measures aimed at undermining the two-state solution would lead to further escalation of tensions, threaten regional and international peace and security, and further undermine prospects for lasting peace and stability in the region.
In this context, the ministers expressed support for all efforts to ensure accountability, including through appropriate international measures and the imposition of sanctions on entities and individuals responsible for illegal settlement activities, including the E1 plan, as well as those that support, facilitate or implement settlement expansion and annexation policies.
They also called for an end to any support or funding that contributes to the establishment, expansion or entrenchment of illegal settlements, stressing that the absence of accountability contributes to the continuation of violations and further undermines prospects for achieving a just and comprehensive peace.
The ministers called for immediate action to halt the E1 settlement plan, revoke all measures taken under it, and stop all settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory.
They further called on the UN Security Council, states and all relevant international actors to fulfill their responsibilities under international law and take urgent and effective measures to halt illegal settlement expansion, protect the Palestinian people, and safeguard their inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination and to establish an independent state, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.
//Petra// MF
