AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The UK Foreign Office announced, "We summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires to protest the E1 settlement project tender."
The UK Foreign Office added, "We have asked the Netanyahu government to immediately cancel the E1 settlement project."
The ministry emphasized, "The Israeli government's tender for the E1 settlement project is an unacceptable and destructive step."
The UK Foreign Office stated, "We will not stand idly by while Israel destroys the two-state solution."
Prior to Britain, Germany on Wednesday condemned the Israeli government's first tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units in the E1 settlement area in occupied East Jerusalem.
Martin Gies, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, said in a press statement, "We condemn the issuance of the tender for the construction of over 1,000 housing units in the E1 settlement project."
The E1 settlement project effectively divides the West Bank into two parts. The Zionist regime's Land Administration has issued a tender for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units in a controversial settlement project in the West Bank, sparking new criticism.
This tender relates to an area known as E1, located between East Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement. The E1 project is a massive Israeli settlement plan covering approximately 12 square kilometers in the West Bank. The aim of this project is to connect the Ma'ale Adumim settlement to Jerusalem by constructing thousands of housing units, effectively isolating East Jerusalem and cutting the geographic continuity of the West Bank between its north and south.
This area is one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Construction there would effectively divide the West Bank into northern and southern parts, making the establishment of a contiguous geographic territory for a future Palestinian state even more difficult and perhaps impossible.
These construction plans have faced severe international criticism.
The Zionist regime, under international pressure, has repeatedly postponed its plans for the E1 area in the past.
Germany, France, Italy, and Britain recently warned companies about participating in tenders for construction projects in the E1 area, which would make them complicit in serious violations of international law.
Israel's right-wing government plans to build approximately 3,400 housing units in this area.
The deadline for submitting proposals for the first phase of the tender, which includes 1,234 units, is October 19, just over a week before the Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27.
The Israeli organization Peace Now criticized the tender. The organization said the Israeli government is seeking to sign contracts with construction companies before the elections, making it much more difficult for the next government to cancel construction.
Peace Now stated that construction in the E1 area eliminates any possibility of ending the conflict and undermines efforts to achieve a peaceful agreement based on the two-state solution.
Australia Summoned the Zionist Regime's Ambassador
According to ISNA, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed in an official statement that Australia is outraged by the Israeli government's decision and emphasized that this decision falls far short of the expected accountability.
Australia's summoning came after the Israeli army claimed there was no basis to justify initiating a criminal investigation into the killing of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen, including the Australian citizen.
In April 2024, World Central Kitchen reported the killing of seven foreigners, including an Australian, as a result of an Israeli airstrike on one of its vehicles while delivering food in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
The foundation stated that the team was traveling in two armored vehicles and another vehicle with the foundation's logo in a non-combat zone, noting that despite coordinating their movements with the Israeli army, they were targeted.
The foundation also clarified that the victims were from Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom, and held dual citizenship of the United States, Canada, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Following this attack, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that his country "expects full accountability" for the killing of aid workers in the Gaza Strip.
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