RAMALLAH, August 20, 2026 (WAFA) — Vice President of the State of Palestine Hussein al-Sheikh on Thursday welcomed a joint statement by the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy rejecting Israel’s plan to proceed with the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank and calling on the Israeli government to immediately withdraw it.
Al-Sheikh welcomed the four countries' reaffirmation that Israeli settlements are illegal and their warning of the dangers posed by the E1 project, stressing that its implementation would undermine the geographic contiguity of Palestinian territory and further weaken prospects for a two-state solution.
He said the European position demonstrates the importance of the international community’s role in confronting settlement expansion and protecting the two-state solution.
“We hope this position will translate into practical steps to halt these policies and protect the rights of the Palestinian people,” al-Sheikh said.
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