SINGAPORE – Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reiterated on Aug 24, calling for Israel to halt its expansion plans.
The Israeli government had on Aug 18 published a tender for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units under a project to expand residential settlements in the E1, or East 1, area.
E1 is the Israeli administrative name for the area in the occupied West Bank that sits east of occupied East Jerusalem.
The proposed construction would further fragment the West Bank and “severely undermine” the prospects for a viable two-state solution, said an MFA spokesperson in a media statement.
“Singapore urges the Israeli government to halt these settlement expansion plans,” said the spokesperson.
About 3,700 Palestinians live in E1, mostly Bedouin who live in 18 villages, according to the Institute for Middle East Understanding.
Singapore is also deeply concerned by the increase in acts of settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, said the MFA spokesperson.
“We call on the Israeli government to take firm action to prevent such violence and to hold those responsible accountable.”
MFA also reiterated Singapore’s stance that a negotiated two-state solution, consistent with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, remains the only viable pathway to a comprehensive, just and durable peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Since the most recent conflict began on Oct 7, 2023, when militant group Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures from the Palestinian health authorities.
Data from the Israeli Foreign Ministry reveals that more than 2,039 Israelis have been killed since the October attack.
