Germany has strongly condemned Israel’s E1 settlement project, calling it a breach of international law and urging Tel Aviv to halt all settlement expansion immediately.
The German Foreign Ministry issued the statement on Wednesday after Israeli authorities approved plans to build more than 3,400 housing units in the E1 area east of Jerusalem. The project also includes a new settlement, “Ashahal”, with 342 units and public buildings.
Peace Now has warned that Israel’s fast-tracked approval of construction in E1 is “particularly fatal” to the future of a two-state solution, as it would split the West Bank in two.
Last week, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the E1 plan would connect Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem, cut off Ramallah from Bethlehem, and end the prospect of a Palestinian state.
The group noted that since the start of 2025, Israel has advanced plans for 24,338 new settlement units, including those in E1.
