EU says E1 settlement plan fundamentally harms prospects for two-state solution

The European Union said that the Israeli government’s publication of a tender for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units under the E1 settlement project fundamentally undermines the prospects for a two-state solution. In a statement by the High Representative on Israel’s E1 settlement plan in the West Bank, the EU said that implementing the plan would divide the West Bank in two and isolate East Jerusalem, further undermining the viability of a Palestinian state. It noted that these developments come amid increasing instability in the West Bank and record levels of colonists’ violence. “The EU position is clear: Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, including in the E1 area, are illegal under international law,” said the statement.