LOC10:16
07:16 GMT
RAMALLAH, Aug 14 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Thursday urged international action to stop new settlement tenders in the E1 plan, east of occupied Jerusalem, warning that such projects escalate tensions and undermine peace prospects.
In a statement, the ministry said the E1 settlement plan shows the Israeli occupation idea of "Greater Israel" and criticized the occupation for offering bids to build thousands of settlement homes in Jerusalem and nearby area.
It emphasized that building in E1 prevents the realization of a Palestinian state, separates the West Bank into isolated territories, destroys unity, and helps the Israeli occupation to take control of the area in practice.
The ministry accused Israeli occupation of committing crimes of genocide, displacement, and annexation through these tenders, viewing them as an extension of Prime Minister Netanyahu's "Greater Israel" rhetoric and part of a long-term strategy to eliminate Palestinian sovereignty.
Israeli occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently approved 3,401 settlement units in E1, a project spanning 12,000 dunams to link Ma'ale Adumim, housing 36,000 settlers, with Jerusalem, further integrating it into the Israeli occupation settlement network.
Despite strong Arab and international opposition, the plan enjoys broad Israeli occupation support at all political levels, forming part of the occupation's "Greater Jerusalem" vision to expand settlement control and permanently alter the area's demographic and geographic landscape. (end)
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