Palestinian Authority warns against Israeli settlement plans in E1 area

Palestinian Authority warns against Israeli settlement plans in E1 area The Palestinian Authority's Cabinet has warned against Israeli preparations to issue a tender for the construction of more than 3,400 settlement units in the E1 area, according to the Government Media Office. It called for effective international pressure to halt what it described as Israeli aggression, and to accelerate relief and recovery efforts in Gaza. The E1 area, located between occupied East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank, has long been one of Israel's most contentious settlement projects. Critics, including past US administrations and European governments, have warned that construction there would effectively cut the West Bank in two and undermine the territorial contiguity needed for a future Palestinian state.