The Jerusalem Governorate warns of a settlement plan in East Jerusalem, describing it as "dangerous."

The Jerusalem Governorate considered the Israeli occupation authorities' resumption of the dangerous settlement plan in the E1 area east of Jerusalem a dangerous decision that comes within the context of colonial policies aimed at undermining any prospect for a just and lasting political solution and imposing Judaization facts on the ground.

The governorate added in a statement on Monday that this plan, which has been revived after years of being frozen due to international pressure, is considered one of the most dangerous settlement projects, as it aims to divide the West Bank into two separate parts, thereby undermining the geographical unity of the Palestinian territories, isolating the city of Jerusalem from its natural Palestinian surroundings, and eliminating the possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

She warned that the implementation of this project would lead to the destruction of what remains of the Palestinian urban fabric between Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, and would threaten the existence of nearly one million residents in the area by creating a colonial continuum extending from the central West Bank to Jerusalem, a blatant violation of the red lines the international community has long warned against.

The governorate emphasized that this occupation move, which comes amid regional and international preoccupation with the war on Gaza, constitutes a blatant exploitation of crises to impose illegal facts on the ground. It constitutes a political crime that adds to the occupation's long record of violations, settlement expansion, and creeping annexation.

The Jerusalem Governorate called on the United Nations and the international community, particularly the peace-sponsoring states, to assume their political, legal, and moral responsibilities and take effective and immediate steps to halt this settlement plan, which threatens security and stability in the entire region and leads to a new escalation that will have serious repercussions at all levels.

The Jerusalem Governorate commended the objections of citizens and human rights and humanitarian organizations that have confronted this project, and emphasized the need to expand the scope of popular, diplomatic, and legal resistance to this plan and similar colonial projects, which seek to legitimize the occupation and entrench the apartheid system.