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Map of the E1 plan showing Abu Dis and al-‘Izariyya, the community of Abu Nuwar, and the Israeli settlement Ma‘ale Adumim (Peace Now)
AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry warned on Wednesday against Israel’s plans to resume the “E1” settlement project, which involves the construction of over 3,000 new housing units east of occupied Jerusalem.
The ministry described the move as a "blatant" violation of international law and a clear threat to the two-state solution and the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent, sovereign state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The ministry’s spokesperson Sufian Qudah reaffirmed Jordan’s “unequivocal rejection and strong condemnation of any Israeli attempts to impose control over the West Bank and separate its northern from its southern parts.”
He called such actions a “flagrant" breach of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, which condemns all Israeli measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the occupied Palestinian territory since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
He also cited the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which confirmed the illegality of the Israeli occupation, the invalidity of settlement construction, and the annexation of West Bank land.
Qudah also warned of circulating media reports suggesting that administrative authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque may be transferred to Israeli settler groups, saying such developments reflect Israel’s continued unilateral policies that violate international law and relevant UN resolutions. He described this as part of efforts to assert full control over the site and alter its Islamic and Arab identity.
Qudah reiterated that Israel holds no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory and that all Israeli measures in the West Bank are illegitimate and illegal.
He called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, compel Israel and its extremist government to immediately stop its aggression on Gaza and its dangerous escalation and unlawful expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank, and to provide the necessary protection for the Palestinian people.
He also urged the international community to uphold Palestinians’ legitimate right to establish an independent state on their national soil, stop ongoing crimes, and hold those responsible accountable.
The project, known as the E1 plan, would involve the construction of 3,412 housing units for Israeli settlers on occupied Palestinian land.
According to news reports, the project aims to connect the settlements of Kfar Adumim and Maale Adumim with occupied East Jerusalem, cutting off Palestinian communities from one another and significantly disrupting territorial continuity.
The United Nations has denounced Israel’s plans to building 3,000 housing units east of Jerusalem as “illegal” under international law, calling on occupation authorities to drop the scheme.
Both the United States and the European Union have warned successive Israeli governments against advancing the plan, citing its potentially devastating impact on prospects for a two-state solution.
