The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has summoned Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely after Israel approved a highly controversial settlement project in the West Bank, which would effectively divide the territory into two parts.
“The Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Her Excellency Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned today by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in response to the decision of Israel’s Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem,” the British Foreign Office confirmed.
Israel’s approval of the E1 settlement project envisions the construction of 3,401 housing units between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank.
The decision has been widely condemned, as it would severely fragment Palestinian territory and jeopardize the viability of a future Palestinian state.
