UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday condemned the decision of Israel's Higher Planning Committee to grant approval for more than 3,400 housing units in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank.

In a statement attributable to Spokesman for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric on Israeli settlements in the E1 area, the Secretary-General said, “Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are a violation of international law and run directly counter to United Nations resolutions. The advancement of this project is an existential threat to the two-State solution. It would sever the northern and southern West Bank and have severe consequences for the territorial contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

The Secretary-General reiterated his call on the Government of Israel to immediately halt all settlement activity and to comply fully with its obligations under international law and to act in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions and in line with the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of 19th July 2024.