- Germany urges ‘Israel’ to halt E1 settlement project, warning it threatens West Bank stability.
- The plan would build over 3,400 housing units, further fragmenting Palestinian territory and undermining a two-state solution.
Germany has called on ‘Israel’ to halt the E1 settlement project, warning that it could escalate tensions across the West Bank and the wider region.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said at a government press conference that the project “is part of a broader intensification of settlement policies in the West Bank, which we have observed in recent times”.
The ministry warned that E1 would increase restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank and further undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.
Project details
The E1 plan, located between the settlements of Maale Adumim and Pisgat Ze’ev in Area C under full ‘Israeli’ control per the Oslo Accords, envisions more than 3,400 settlement housing units along with infrastructure and facilities.
First proposed in the 1990s, the plan was previously frozen due to international pressure but has recently been revived, drawing criticism from the United Nations, the European Union, and multiple countries. Critics described it as a blatant violation of international law and a “fatal blow” to the two-state solution.
Location and impact
The E1 site covers roughly 12 square kilometers between the Palestinian communities of Anata, Al-Issawiya, Al-Zaim, Al-Eizariya, and Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem. Observers warn that construction in this area would make a geographically contiguous Palestinian state nearly impossible.
