Palestinian official calls Israel’s E1 settlement plans ‘a dangerous escalation’

Palestinian Presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned Israel's plans to open tenders for 3,401 settlement units in the E1 area east of occupied East Jerusalem, calling the move "a dangerous escalation" and a violation of international law.

"Israel's continued tendering in the E1 area demonstrates that the Israeli government is moving ahead with an attempt to impose a colonial reality on the ground, defying the international community and resolutions and positions opposing settlement activity," Abu Rudeineh said Thursday in a statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

"The E1 plan threatens the unity and geographical contiguity of Palestinian territory and imposes new realities aimed at undermining the possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," he said.

Abu Rudeineh stressed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are "illegal under international law and UN resolutions," particularly UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which calls on Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activities there.

He underscored that Israeli measures "do not grant Israel any right or legitimacy over Palestinian land," adding that attempts to impose facts on the ground would not create a new legal reality or alter the status of the occupied Palestinian territories under international law.

Abu Rudeineh also called on the international community to "assume its legal and political responsibilities" and take immediate practical steps to halt settlement activity rather than limiting its response to statements of condemnation and warnings.

Israeli authorities plan to open tenders on Oct. 25 for 2,167 settlement units under the E1 project, in addition to 1,234 units included in a separate tender issued in August, bringing the total to 3,401 units.

The project is located east of Jerusalem and aims to connect the Maale Adumim settlement with occupied Jerusalem through the seizure of Palestinian land, according to the Palestinian presidency.