RAMALLAH, August 20, 2025 (WAFA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly condemned the Israeli government’s approval of new settlement construction in the “E1” area, including thousands of units in and around occupied Jerusalem.

“This plan will isolate Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings, submerge it in massive settlement blocs, and destroy prospects for the two-state solution by fragmenting the West Bank into disconnected enclaves resembling open-air prisons,” stressed the ministry in a statement.

It added: “This approval constitutes official Israeli involvement in the crimes of settlement, annexation, genocide, and forcible displacement, aimed at erasing the Palestinian cause and denying our people’s rights.”

The Ministry warned that international complacency and reliance on statements of condemnation alone only embolden Israel, which openly boasts of targeting the very idea of a Palestinian state.

The Ministry called for genuine international action, including sanctions, to compel Israel to halt its colonial schemes, end its policies of annexation and displacement, and respect the international consensus on resolving the Palestinian question.

It stressed that Israel’s approval of settlement construction in “E1” makes the swift recognition of the State of Palestine an urgent necessity.

T.R.