Israeli plans will lead to international isolation

The Palestinian presidency has strongly condemned the Israeli government's decision to build 1,500 new housing units in occupied Jerusalem. The recent decision to build new settlements in Ramat Shlomo, north of Jerusalem, is a blatant challenge to the entire international community, Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a statement on Monday. He added such actions would isolate Israel after world states rejected the occupation by recognising a Palestinian state according to 1967 borders. The statement comes after Israel’s Planning and Building Council approved 3,400 housing units in the E1 region, between Ma’ale Adumim and occupied Jerusalem, on Wednesday. The Israeli government previously withheld construction in the E1 region due to opposition from the United States and Europe. An E1 settlement would isolate the north and south of the occupied territories, thereby obstructing the establishment of a Palestinian state.