RAMALLAH, July 21, 2025 (WAFA) – he Jerusalem Governorate has condemned the Israeli authorities' renewed push to advance the controversial E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, calling it a "dangerous decision" and a clear step within broader colonial policies aimed at dismantling any chances for a just and lasting political solution.
In a statement issued Monday, the Governorate warned that the plan — revived after years of international pressure had kept it frozen — poses one of the most serious threats to Palestinian land and sovereignty. The E1 project seeks to bisect the West Bank, effectively severing it into two disconnected parts, which would geographically isolate Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and eliminate any possibility of establishing a contiguous Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement emphasized that implementation of the E1 plan would destroy what remains of the Palestinian urban fabric between Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, and would jeopardize the presence of nearly one million Palestinians in the region by establishing a continuous colonial corridor stretching from the central West Bank into Jerusalem — in blatant defiance of long-standing international red lines.
It called on the United Nations and the international community, particularly the peace process sponsors, to assume their political, legal, and moral responsibilities and to take immediate and effective measures to halt this settlement scheme, which it said threatens regional stability and security, and risks sparking a new wave of escalation.
The Governorate also expressed appreciation for the efforts of citizens, human rights groups, and humanitarian organizations that have opposed the plan, urging the expansion of popular, diplomatic, and legal resistance to confront this and other colonial projects aimed at entrenching occupation and institutionalizing apartheid.
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