Islamabad 15 August: EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas issued a stern rebuke on Thursday of Israel’s proposed settlement project in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, stating it constitutes a clear violation of international law and must be halted immediately.
Kallas warned that initiating construction in the E1 corridor—located between Ma’ale Adumim and East Jerusalem—would fragment the West Bank, severing its connection to East Jerusalem and jeopardizing the viability of a two-state solution. She urged Israeli authorities to cease all further settlement activity.
The controversial plan, spearheaded by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, aims to authorize thousands of housing units in a territory that critics argue would disrupt the territorial integrity required for a Palestinian state.
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This move has reignited international opposition, with the EU, UN, and several national governments denouncing the initiative as illegal under international law and counterproductive to peace efforts.
In wider context, this settlement expansion directly clashes with well-established global consensus—reflected in the Fourth Geneva Convention, United Nations resolutions, and a binding advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice—that labels Israeli settlement activity in occupied territories as illegal.
