Eight Nations Jointly Condemn Israel's E1 Settlement Plan, Demand International Sanctions and Immediate Halt

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic nations issued a sweeping joint statement on Thursday, August 21, 2026, unequivocally condemning Israel's continued illegal settlement policies in the Palestinian Territory and categorically rejecting the E1 settlement plan east of East Jerusalem, warning that the plan threatens a viable Palestinian state and calling for international sanctions against those involved in the illegal expansion.

The joint statement, published simultaneously by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Pakistan's Foreign Ministry and transmitted to the United Nations as a formal document, was signed by the foreign ministers of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Egypt, as the UAE's MoFA confirmed on Thursday and the UN's Question of Palestine portal documented on the same date.

"The Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, and the Arab Republic of Egypt unequivocally condemn Israel's continued illegal settlement policies in the Palestinian Territory and categorically reject the E1 settlement plan and related settlement activities east of East Jerusalem," the statement read. The ministers further reiterated their condemnation of the violations and acts of violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against the Palestinian people and their property, with the support of the Israeli authorities.

What the E1 Plan Involves

The E1 plan refers to a proposed Israeli construction project covering approximately 12 square kilometers east of East Jerusalem, in an area that Palestinian officials and international legal experts have consistently described as the last viable corridor connecting the northern and southern West Bank and linking the Palestinian population centers of Ramallah and Bethlehem to Jerusalem. As HIT 96.7 confirmed on Thursday, the eight ministers warned the plan threatens the prospects of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and risks further destabilizing the region by severing the territorial connection between the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The ministers stressed that such acts in no way diminish the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and constitute violations of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, while posing a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.

Immediate Halt, Rescission, and Sanctions

The statement went beyond condemnation to issue a set of concrete demands. As the UAE MoFA confirmed on Thursday, the ministers called for immediate action to halt the E1 settlement plan, rescind all measures taken in connection with it, and cease all settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Palestinian Territory.

The ministers also called upon the UN Security Council, all states, and relevant international actors to uphold their responsibilities under international law and take urgent and effective measures to halt illegal settlement expansion, ensure the protection of the Palestinian people, safeguard their inalienable rights including their right to self-determination, and realize their independent state in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

As ARN News Centre confirmed on Thursday, the ministers specifically called for accountability and international measures and sanctions against those involved in illegal settlement activities, the strongest collective demand for punitive economic action against Israeli settlement expansion that this particular grouping of nations has issued.

The Significance of the Coalition

The composition of the eight-nation coalition is itself diplomatically significant. It brings together Gulf Arab states including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar alongside Jordan and Egypt, the two Arab states with peace treaties with Israel, as well as Türkiye, Pakistan, and Indonesia, three of the Muslim world's most populous and influential nations. The inclusion of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both of which have been engaged in Abraham Accords normalization processes and maintain active diplomatic engagement with Washington, signals that the E1 plan has crossed a threshold that even the most pragmatically Israel-engaged Arab governments are unwilling to accept in silence.

The statement also arrives as the eight nations are collectively managing multiple overlapping regional crises, including the US-Iran conflict, the Gaza disarmament agreement announced by Trump on July 30, 2026, and the Lebanon framework agreement, all of which involve Israeli policy choices that intersect with the Palestinian question in ways the joint statement implicitly addresses.