Simon Harris

Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who belongs to the far-right Mafdal–Religious Zionism party, has boasted that the plan will “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”.

Originally proposed decades ago, the E1 plan will around 3,400 homes for Jewish settlers constructed in the occupied West Bank, threatening the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.

Mr Smotrich welcomed its approval by Israeli planning authorities on Wednesday as a “significant step that practically erases the two-state delusion and consolidates the Jewish people’s hold on the heart of the Land of Israel”.

Yesterday, Mr Harris joined the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK, as well as the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, in condemning the decision.

“We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” they said.

“Minister Smotrich says this plan will make a two-state solution impossible by dividing any Palestinian state and restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem.

“This brings no benefits to the Israeli people. Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace. 

“The government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan. 

“Unilateral action by the Israeli government undermines our collective desire for security and prosperity in the Middle East.

“The Israeli government must stop settlement construction in line with UNSC Resolution 2334 and remove their restrictions on the finances of the Palestinian Authority.”