Canada joins call for Israel to halt settlement plan meant to crush Palestinian statehood

Canada and 21 other countries issued a joint statement on Thursday calling for the immediate halt of a recently approved Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

On Wednesday, the Israeli government gave its final approval of a 3,500 apartment expansion plan in a tract of land east of Jerusalem known as E1. The development has been under consideration for more than two decades but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and her counterparts called on the Israeli government to “urgently retract” the expansion plan and “stop settlement construction.”

“The decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and a violation of international law. We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” the statement said.

More than 700,000 Israelis now live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians for a future state. The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel has disputed the legality, arguing that the West Bank is disputed territory whose fate should be determined through negotiations.

If the E1 expansion process moves quickly, infrastructure work could begin in the next few months, and construction of homes could start in around a year.

“The government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan,” the ministers’ joint statement said.

The signatories include the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K. The foreign affairs representative of the European Commission also signed the statement.

The location of E1 is significant because it is one of the last geographical links between Ramallah, in the northern West Bank, and Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. The two cities are 22 kilometers apart, but Palestinians traveling between them must take a wide detour and pass through multiple Israeli checkpoints, adding hours to the journey.

Both critics and proponents of the E1 expansion plan have said it will effectively divide the West Bank in two, destroying plans for a future Palestinian state.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during a news conference at the site last week that the plan “finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state” — something he repeated Wednesday.

“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,” Smotrich said. “Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”

Canada is one of a number of countries planning to recognize a Palestinian state at next month’s United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Canada’s recognition is based on a commitment from the Palestinian Authority — which operates in the West Bank — to hold elections next year.

The statement issued by Anand and her counterparts specifically condemned Smotrich for his comments regarding the future of a Palestinian state.

“This brings no benefits to the Israeli people. Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace,” the statement said.

Jon Allen, a former Canadian ambassador to Israel, told CBC’s Power & Politics that he thinks Canada and its allies need to go further.

“This [expansion] really does have to be stopped,” he told guest host Karina Roman.

“I think countries are now going to have to act, whether it be trade sanctions, whether it be recalling their ambassador, they do have to send a signal that this is completely unacceptable.”

But Randa Slim, a non-resident senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s foreign policy institute, said in the same interview that “the only country that matters is the United States.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t see the Trump administration willing to engage in any kind of sanctions,” Slim said.

In June, Canada and five Western allies issued sanctions against Smotrich — and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — accusing the two ministers of pushing “extremist rhetoric” by calling for the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the territory.

The sanctions — which drew heated responses from both Israeli and U.S. officials — also targeted some Israeli settlers involved in violent acts in the West Bank.

Israel’s plans to expand settlements are part of an increasingly difficult reality for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as the world’s attention focuses on the war in Gaza. There has been a disturbing rise in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians, leading to evictions from Palestinian towns and the establishment of checkpoints that restrict freedom of movement. Additionally, there have been several incidents of Palestinian attacks on Israelis, escalating tensions in the region.

One particularly concerning development is the E1 project, which has been denounced by Peace Now as detrimental to the prospects of a peaceful two-state solution. The organization warns that the project will only lead to more bloodshed and hinder any chance of achieving lasting peace.

In a recent incident, diplomats from Western governments visiting the West Bank city of Jenin came under fire from Israeli soldiers. The soldiers claimed they were firing warning shots in the air, but video footage showed them aiming their rifles horizontally. This reckless behavior led to Canadian Embassy staff seeking cover, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney to denounce the shooting as “totally unacceptable.”

Canada has also joined a coalition calling for Israel to stop banning foreign journalists from entering Gaza and to protect local journalists in the Palestinian territories. Despite being a founding member of the Media Freedom Coalition, Canada initially did not sign the statement but eventually added its support after it was released.

This statement comes in the wake of condemnation directed at Israel for the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif. Israel alleged that the journalist was affiliated with Hamas, but the international community has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The situation in the region remains volatile, with ongoing violence and tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. It is crucial for all parties involved to prioritize dialogue and peaceful resolution in order to prevent further bloodshed and foster a lasting peace in the region.