Foreign ministers condemn Israel's settlement plans in joint statement

A group of foreign ministers from EU countries, along with the UK and Australia, have condemned Israel's plans to construct settlements east of Jerusalem, in what is known as the E1 area.

In a joint statement, they called the decision "unacceptable and in violation of international law". They urged the Israeli government to stop the construction of settlements, saying the move "fuels further violence and instability" and brings the region "further away from peace".

Israel has rubber-stamped the construction of the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, in a move that a minister described as “erasing” a Palestinian state “not with slogans but with actions”. 

The settlement subcommittee of the Civil Administration on Wednesday approved the building of 3,400 new housing units on the occupied Palestinian territory.