Lammy calls on Israel to reverse decision on E1 settlement project

The controversial construction plans were approved by a sub-committee of the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank on Wednesday

Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank
Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank

David Lammy has said that Israel’s widely criticised E1 settlement plan would, if implemented, constitute a breach of international law and risk dividing a future Palestinian state.

The construction plans were approved by a sub-committee of the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank on Wednesday, and if implemented would divide the northern West Bank from the south.

The decision is subject to appeal by the courts.

Gideon Sa’ar, right, meets David Lammy in Jerusalem on Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel)

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “The Palestinian state is being erased – not in slogans, but in actions.”

In a statement to the media, he also urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “complete the move and apply full Israeli sovereignty” in the West Bank.

“If implemented, it would divide a Palestinian state in two, mark a flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution,” Foreign Secretary Lammy said in a post on X, calling on the Israeli government to reverse the decision.

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