Washington, DC – In response to the Israeli government’s decision to publish a tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units in E1, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement:
“We strongly oppose the Israeli government’s publication of a tender for construction in E1. The E1 project would build an Israeli city in the heart of the West Bank – territory that should form the core of a future Palestinian state. It would also sever East Jerusalem and other major Palestinian population centers from one another, further restricting Palestinian movement.
For three decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike set E1 construction as a clear red line for Israel because they understood the devastating blow it would deal to hopes for a negotiated resolution. That is precisely why the Netanyahu government is now racing to proceed with it.
Combined with this government’s approval of more than 100 new settlements and its support for hundreds of new outposts across the West Bank, the E1 tender can only be understood as a key part of a systematic effort to undermine the viability of Palestinian statehood.
J Street calls on the Trump Administration and Members of Congress to act immediately to oppose this move, including by imposing targeted US sanctions on those who participate in E1 settlement construction.”