European Union urges Israel to drop West Bank building plan

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called on Israel to halt plans for settlement construction in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, warning that the move would breach international law and severely undermine the viability of a two-state solution.

In a statement on Thursday, Kallas cautioned that such construction would permanently disrupt the territorial continuity between occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, effectively severing the link between its northern and southern parts.

She further urged an end to Israel’s broader settlement policy — including demolitions, forced transfers, evictions, and home confiscations — saying these actions, alongside settler violence and military operations, were heightening tensions and eroding prospects for peace.

Kallas reiterated the bloc’s call for Israel to halt its plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, warning of its “far-reaching implications” and stressing the urgency of safeguarding the viability of a two-state solution.

Kallas said such unilateral moves, combined with settler violence and ongoing military operations, are intensifying tensions on the ground and further diminishing prospects for peace.

The E1 area — a strategic stretch of land east of Jerusalem between the city and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim — is seen as particularly contentious, as building there would effectively sever East Jerusalem from the northern West Bank.

Plans for building in the area have been frozen for years, largely due to international opposition.

On Thursday, Israeli media reported that Israeli 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 two parts, severing connections between its northern and southern cities and isolating East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced the move as part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vision for "Greater Israel", warning it would entrench the occupation and eliminate the viability of a Palestinian state.

The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law.

The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In an advisory opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

With IANS inputs