Long-proposed building in the Jerusalem suburbs isn’t the death of peace.
Our friends, the Europeans, are always on the lookout for opportunities to bash Israel. Their latest is called E1, a small area of land just east of crowded Jerusalem, where Israel has long wanted to build to connect to a nearby suburb. Plans approved in 2025 are now moving forward with construction tenders. Cue the “grave concerns.”
The U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and (honorary European) Canada published a statement last week warning of “serious breaches of international law.” Developing the E1 area, they warned, “will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.” The U.K. said it will soon impose sanctions. A Dutch boycott is set to begin next month.
It's complaining for the sake of faux virtue.
ReplyDeleteUnder every prior agreement that included "land swaps", E1 stays part of Israel. It is along the border so it doesn't break up Arab territory into smaller parts. In short, it's the least controversial area of Yesha.
This is preening for the sake of accommodating our enemies.