RAMALLAH, September 17, 2026 (WAFA) – Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, warned on Thursday of the dangers posed by the Israeli occupation authorities advancing plans to build 3,701 settlement units in the E1 area, east of occupied Jerusalem. He emphasized that these moves constitute a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions.
Abu Rudeineh stated that the occupation authorities' continued issuance of tenders in the E1 area confirms that the occupation government is proceeding to impose a colonial *fait accompli* on the ground, in clear defiance of the international community and of international positions and resolutions rejecting settlement activity.
He added that the E1 plan threatens the unity and geographical contiguity of Palestinian territory and imposes new realities aimed at undermining the possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Consequently, the continuation of this colonial policy poses a direct threat to efforts aimed at achieving stability in the region.
Abu Rudeineh affirmed that Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, is illegal under international law and United Nations resolutions—foremost among them Security Council Resolution 2334, which affirmed the illegality of settlement activities in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
He stressed that these Israeli measures cannot grant the occupation any right or legitimacy regarding Palestinian land, and that the policy of imposing a *fait accompli* will neither create a new legal reality nor alter the fact that the occupied Palestinian territories are subject to the rules of international law. The official spokesperson warned that the occupation government's continued implementation of the E1 plans—coupled with escalating settlement activity and colonists attacks in the West Bank—is driving the situation toward greater tension and instability. He added that these actions undermine international efforts to achieve peace and establish a Palestinian state in accordance with international legitimacy.
Abu Rudeineh called upon the international community, particularly the United States, to shoulder its legal and political responsibilities and take immediate, practical steps to compel the occupation government to halt all settlement and colonial activities, rather than merely issuing statements of condemnation and warning.
He also called for international protection for the Palestinian people and a halt to all unilateral measures that violate international law, emphasizing that continued international silence regarding these policies emboldens the occupation government to persist in its defiance of international legitimacy.
Abu Rudeineh stated that the Palestinian leadership would continue to work with Arab nations, the international community, and international institutions to halt these plans and protect Palestinian land. The ultimate goal is to end the Israeli occupation and realize an independent, sovereign State of Palestine based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and international law.
He concluded by asserting that peace, security, and stability cannot be achieved through settlement expansion, the imposition of a *fait accompli*, or land confiscation; rather, they can only be attained by ending the occupation and realizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people—foremost among them the right to freedom, independence, and the establishment of their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
K.T
